Hollis Loyd Harris, a resident of Peachtree City, Ga. since 1969, died on July 14, 2016, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
He is survived by his daughter, Patti Harris Ayers of Peachtree City, his sons David (wife Leigh Ann) of Atlanta, and Jeff Harris of Marietta; his grandchildren, Rachel Harris Ragan (husband Ben) of Hartsville, S.C., Michael Hollis Harris (wife Kayci) of Madison, Wis., Jackson Ayers and Mitchell Ayers of Peachtree City; and great-grandchildren Liam Ragan and Selah Ragan of Hartsville, S.C. He is also survived by his brother John Harris (wife Gaye) of Peachtree City, his sister-in-law Janice Entrekin Griffin of Lakeland, Fla., and his brother-in-law Cleve Entrekin (wife Kathy) of Carrollton, Ga.; and by nieces Beth Parker (husband Bart), Missy Scott, Andrea Scott, Aimee Entrekin, and by nephews Wes Harris (wife Charmaine), Doug Scott (wife Sheila), Rob Scott (wife Kim), and Matthew Entrekin (wife Skye) and numerous great nieces, great nephews and many friends.
Preceding him in death was his wife for over 55 years, Joyce Entrekin Harris, his parents Clarence Loyd and Nellie Ruth Harris, and by his grandson, David Loyd Harris, Jr.
Hollis was born in Carrollton, Ga. on November 25, 1931, to parents Clarence and Nellie Ruth Harris. He graduated from Carrollton High School in 1949 and attended Auburn University from 1949 to 1950. He joined the U.S. Army in 1951, serving as battery commander in Germany during the Korean War and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in 1954. Returning to Georgia, Hollis enrolled in Georgia Tech’s Aeronautical Engineering program where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1961.
Hollis’ 51-year airline career began in 1954 as a transportation agent at Delta Air Lines while taking full-time classes at Georgia Tech. In 1961 while working in Delta’s engineering department, he was promoted to managerial positions. Between 1965 and 1969, he progressed from Manager of Facilities to Director, and eventually became Assistant Vice President of the Facilities Department, which incorporated the various functions of planning, engineering, and constructing Delta’s system-wide facilities, including airport terminals, hangars, reservations offices, city ticket offices, general office and fuel storage facilities, and ground support equipment. By 1971, Harris was head of the Aircraft Engineering Department, and in 1973, he became Senior Vice President of Passenger Service. After a series of promotions, in 1987 Harris was named President/COO and a member of Delta’s Board of Directors, where he served for four years. During this time, Harris helped launch Delta’s new service to Seoul, South Korea in anticipation for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Hollis retired from Delta Air Lines in 1990 after a 36-year career. He then joined Continental Airlines as Chairman, President, and CEO with the task of helping the airline avert bankruptcy. Due to several disagreements with the Board about how the airline should be restructured, Harris resigned from Continental in September 1991 and joined Air Canada as Chairman, President, and CEO in 1992. The following year, after returning to serve on the Board at Continental as part of a plan for Air Canada to acquire 27.5% of Continental, Harris and the Air Partners Group brought Continental out of bankruptcy through strategic restructuring of the airline. While at Air Canada, Harris and Steve Wolf signed a “strategic agreement” between Air Canada and United Airlines that produced what became the Star Alliance – the largest airline group in the world. In 1994, the Financial Times of Canada named Harris the “Number One CEO.” In 1999, Harris joined World Airways as Chairman, President, and CEO. During his five years at World, Harris cut costs by relocating the airline’s headquarters from Dulles International Airport to Peachtree City, Ga., and similar to his experience at Continental and Air Canada, Harris led the restructuring team in providing several consecutive quarters of profitability before retiring in May of 2004.
During his time with the airline industry, Hollis was an avid traveler, visiting all seven continents. He never lost his love of flying and would get on an airplane every day if he could. He also enjoyed playing golf for many years and played with numerous celebrities such as U. S. President Gerald Ford and astronaut Neil Armstrong. He was a member of Conquistadores del Cielo since 1987, where he would gather with other accomplished aviation and aerospace executives each September at the “A Bar A Ranch” in Encampment, Wyo.
In recognition of his distinguished airline career, Hollis was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2004 and he was enshrined into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2004, the Chamber of Commerce named Hollis the Fayette County Business Person of the Year. Other awards include the Boy Scouts of America Golden Eagle Award in 2012 and receiving the Carrollton High School Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.
He served as a board member of many organizations including: Canada-Korea Business Council, the British-American Business Council, the Canada-U.S. Committee on National Issues, the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association, the Georgia Tech National Advisory Board, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Air Advisory Board of GATX Capital Corporation. He was a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has been a member of the Peachtree City First Presbyterian Church since 1969, where he served as an Elder.
A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 18th at First Presbyterian Church, 206 Willowbend Road, Peachtree City, Ga. The family will receive friends on Sunday, July 17 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Mowell Funeral Home, 200 Robinson Road, Peachtree City, Ga.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Piedmont Fayette Hospital Cancer Wellness in memory of Hollis Harris. Address is Piedmont Healthcare Foundation, 2001 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 400, Atlanta, Ga. 30309.
Carl J Mowell & Son Funeral Home, Peachtree City-www.mowellfuneralhome.com.
