Thomas O. Harris, Ph.D., entered rest on May 20, 2020. He was born in Miami, Oklahoma, on March 4, 1935, to Orville Francis and Vivian Muriel Barnes Harris. He received his Ph. D. from Kansas State University, taught high school, and was a professor at Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas. He also served as the Kansas State Director of the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Vocational Association (AVA) serving as President of the Trade and Industrial (T&I) Division. Upon moving to Texas, he taught at Texas A. & M., Texas State, and St. Philip’s College where he also served as Dean of Applied Science and Technology. Tom was a teacher extraordinaire and was designated as a Master Teacher by the College of Education, University of Texas at Austin. Tom was a man of many talents, and after retirement his interests shifted to gardening. He became a Master Gardener and Master Pruner (certified) and was a founding member of the Gardening Volunteers of South Texas (GVST). He served as President of the Bexar County Master Gardeners and GVST. He was an active speaker on all things gardening and taught gardening classes for community education in school districts in and around San Antonio. Tom was known in and around San Antonio as “The Hill Country Gardener” and was named Master Gardener of the Year in 1998. At one time he was known as “Dr. Phixit.” As Dr. Phixit he built and repaired anything made of wood as he was an avid woodworker. He once said if the plans called for one nail, he would put two – and glue - so it would last. Building Christmas presents out of wood for family and friends was one of his favorite things to do. Tom was also an ardent freshwater fisherman. One of his greatest treasures is a mounted eight pound bass he caught at Braunig Lake. Tom wrote a gardening article for the Boerne Star each week for 20 years, four gardening books and various other publications related to gardening. He was, at one time, the only certified teacher of Square Foot Gardening in Texas. Because of his efforts in teaching and writing about drip irrigation and water conservation, he received the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) Refreshing Ideas Award in 2011. Tom was preceded in death by his parents and his granddaughter, Lindsay. He is survived by his wife, Gay; children, Lee Ann (Jeff), Tim (Karen), Chris (Rachel), and Jennifer (Nichole), four grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren; brother, George (Carrie) and several nieces and nephews.. He is also survived by his stepdaughters, Bonnie, Gay Ellen (Brian), Colleen, and Robynn (Judy), their families, and BIL, G.W. Arnold (Patsy). The family would like to express their gratitude to Tom Wood and the BeeHive Assisted Living Staff for their loving care of Tom. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Spring Creek United Methodist Church Capital Campaign Fund at springcreekumc.org or to the GVST Scholarship Fund, 1254 Austin Hwy, San Antonio, TX 78209.
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