Owsley Stanley (born Augustus Owsley Stanley III on January 19, 1935 – March 13, 2011) who was also known as "Bear", was a former underground LSD cook, and the first to produce large quantities of pure LSD. His total production is estimated at around half a kilogram of LSD, or roughly 5 million 100-microgram "hits" of normal potency. The widespread and low-cost (often given away free) availability of Stanley's high-quality LSD in the San Francisco area during the hazy mid-1960s may have been crucial for the emergence of the hippie movement during the Summer of Love in the Haight-Ashbury area.

But although he is mainly known for the very high-quality LSD he produced, Stanley designed some of the first high-fidelity sound systems for rock music, culminating in the massive "Wall of Sound " electrical amplification system used by the Grateful Dead in their live shows, at the time a highly innovative feat of engineering.

The combination of his notoriety in the psychedelic scene and his notable reclusive tendencies - in part cultivated to confuse the authorities; he avoided being photographed and refused to be interviewed for many years. All of which led to the perpetuation of many inaccurate tales about him. The last trip just happened for Owsley Stanley; he died in an automobile accident in Australia on March 13, 2011. The end of era, in more ways than one.