Harold Kaplan, son of Hyman and Yetta, was born in Los Angeles in November of 1909. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Minsk, Russia, and were married in 1908. By 1920 the family had settled in Santa Ana, where Hyman went into business with his brother-in-law Samuel Roth. Their company, called the Santa Ana Junk & Auto Wrecking Co., was located at 807 E. 4th Street. Harry attended Santa Ana Polytechnic High School (now Santa Ana High) and was a member of the baseball team. The theme for the school’s 1926 yearbook was knights; thus the title of all the team players. Harry’s younger sister, Rose, was also athletic, playing both hockey and baseball.