Stan Sanders, 1963 Rhodes Scholar—one of the first African Americans awarded the prestigious scholarship—grew up in Watts, California. All the Sanders men were tall and handsome, Stan’s 6’5″ height the norm. His brother and family hero, 1952 Olympic Heavy Weight Boxing gold medalist, Hayes Edward “Big Ed” Sanders, died when Stan was twelve. Stan’s dad, Hayes, drove a garbage truck and was illiterate. He retired and returned to evening adult classes as a second-grader at David Star Jordan High School—Stan’s alma mater—in 1959, the year Stan graduated from high school with a scholarship in Journalism.

Hailed for his academic and athletic excellence, Stan has traveled the world, practiced law, garnered numerous awards, scholarships and trophies, run for Los Angeles Mayor and City Council, chaired numerous high-profile boards and commissions, married thrice, and fathered four children.

The life story of J. Stanley Sanders is the tale of the golden child “Straight Outta Watts,” from a family with good looks, talent, and intelligence to spare—the story of his journey from Watts to Oxford and beyond.