Newcomer named Master Gardener of the Year
CONWAY — Doug Harris has worn many hats over the years — husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, master electrician, ordained minister, teacher and school superintendent, to name a few. His latest hat is for Faulkner County Master Gardener of the Year for 2020.
“I love Master Gardeners,” he said recently during a visit to his home in west Conway that amplifies his skills as a gardener, along with those of his wife, Debbie, who is also a member of the local Master Gardeners group. “I love to be outside working.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather when they announced my name as Master Gardener of the Year,” Doug Harris said, smiling. “I was speechless.
“I am so honored. It is one of the highlights of my life. There are so many worthwhile people in Master Gardeners. … It’s a great group of volunteers. So happened, I have some of the skills they needed.”
Debbie Guthrie, immediate past president of the Faulkner County Master Gardeners, said, “Doug Harris, although being one of our newer members (class of 2018), has exemplified exceptional leadership in this highly unusual year and provided various contributions consistently throughout 2020.
“In 2020, Doug logged over 460 sanctioned hours and 108 education hours,” said Guthrie, who was Faulkner County Master Gardener of the Year in 2019. “He took on a variety of important formal leadership roles and was actively engaged as second vice president, leading all administrative and educational committees, and cocoordinator of the Faulkner County Museum project. He also took on several other informal leadership responsibilities, including the member records database, member photo roster and reinstitution of our membership records team.”
Guthrie said Harris helped partner a relationship with Voegele Tree Service, which provided several large truckloads of free fresh mulch for the group’s dirt projects, and worked with the Conway Expo and Event Center, where the FCMG Plant Sale is normally held each year.
“Doug continued to build positive working relationships with both city and county officials,” Guthrie said, adding that Harris has “fast-tracked by skipping the traditional step of moving to the first-vice-president position” this year and is now the 2021 president of the Faulkner County Master Gardeners.
“Considering all that Doug accomplished in 2020, Faulkner County Master Gardeners should feel confident with Doug as their 2021 president,” Guthrie said.
Harris, who will be 65 in June, was born at the base hospital at Millington Naval Base in Millington, Tennessee.
“My dad was in the military,” he said. “I graduated from Berryville High School in Berryville, Arkansas (Carroll County), in 1974 (where he had relatives). By then, I had been to 16 different schools. I played football at Berryville.”
Doug and Debbie met at church in Berryville, where she grew up. They married in 1974 and have two adult children, Chandra Anderson of Berryville and Jimmy Harris of Conway. The Harrises also have five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Doug Harris received an associate degree in Christian education from Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in Moore, Oklahoma, and an associate degree in business administration and management from North Arkansas College in Harrison. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from
the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and master’s degrees in counseling and educational/instructional technology, also from the U of A. He received a doctorate in educational leadership and administration from the U of A.
He was director of facilities and transportation for the Berryville Public School District for 21 years and superintendent of the East End School District in Bigelow for three years. He retired in 2018.
The Harrises moved to Conway in 2015. They attend First Uni ted Methodi s t Church, where he is a member of the Wednesday-morning men’s prayer group. He is a member of the ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out) men’s group, which is affiliated with the Newcomers’ Club of Conway, which his wife, Debbie, serves as president. He is also a lifetime Kiwanian.
Doug Harris, who was named one of two Faulkner County Master Gardeners Rookies of the Year in 2019, said he always tries “to leave somewhere better than I found it.
“One of my goals as president is to standardize all forms and get them online where anyone can find them. That includes getting all members trained in technology,” he said.
“We have been meeting virtually, through Zoom. Some people are not comfortable doing that. We hope soon to be able to go back to meeting in person, but I would like to see us continue to Zoom our regular meetings as well. Technology is, and will continue to be, a challenge,” Harris said.
“Our membership is changing. Many people want to become Master Gardeners, but they work during the week, and that is when we normally meet,” he said. “I would like to see us offer meetings and/or programs that can be done on weekends or at night.
“I’m a finder of solutions for different situations. That’s what I’ve always done … come up with solutions.”
Guthrie agrees with Harris’ self-assessment:
“While this (2020) was an exceptional time in our history, Doug’s dedication, optimism and problem-solving never wavered throughout the year, even though he received multiple ‘ curveballs,’” Guthrie said.
“He really became the shortstop of our crew,” she said. “If Doug saw something falling through the cracks or someone needing extra support to get a task completed, he went out of his way to provide aid. One example of his tenacity was leading the effort to get our member records database and photo roster up to date. Even though members had been working on the project for three years, he helped to see it to completion.
“The member records committee is now able to post current information on the FCMG website. In addition to leading the educational and administrative committees, Doug has actively worked at each dirt project to not only be helpful, but also to learn the goals and challenges of each project.”
Harris said he is busier now in retirement than he was in his career days.
“I am retired,” he said, laughing. “I now work for my wife.”