Oklahoma native Morton R. Harrison moved with his family to Checotah, Oklahoma, in grade school and later graduated from Oktaha High School. He received a certificate in Electrical Engineering in 1916 and served in the Navy in 1917 to 1919. From 1924 to 1929, he owned and operated Morton’s Café in Claremore, Oklahoma, and was co-owner and manager of the Will Roger’s Hotel in Claremore in 1945. He persuaded the Cherokee Cultural Center to build Tahlequah’s TSA-LA-GI Amphitheatre for the successful “Trail of Tears” drama. He was head of the American Legion’s Rehabilitation Services for 21 years and chairman of the Planning and Resources Board, which established the statewide system of lodges on Oklahoma’s lakes.