Namesake

He's the fast-talking cowboy with a heart of gold. The dedicated educator who spent more than three decades inspiring students with lessons that went far beyond the classroom. Today, Joey Tomlinson continues to blaze the trail to excellence as namesake of Northside ISD's 81st elementary school. Tomlinson was born July 17, 1947 in Boerne, Texas, the oldest of three sons. His parents Bill and Marie Tomlinson were both educators so it's no coincidence that their son Joey became a teacher too. Following in his father's footsteps, he studied to be an agriculture teacher. Tomlinson graduated from Boerne High School in 1965 and earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Southwest Texas State University in 1968 and a master's degree in 1969. His experience raising animals began at an early age. He participated in his first livestock show when he was six years old and even won Grand Champion Lamb in Kendall County in 1957. Though he wasn't raised in Northside ISD, it became his home. In 1971, Tomlinson joined the staff at Marshall High School where he was hired to teach a new program for the District, horticulture. The program opened up a new avenue for students who didn't have an interest in animals, but instead were interested in plants.

He spent nine years there before moving to Holmes High School for five years where he helped start the school's agriculture program. After two years at Madison High School in North East ISD, Tomlinson returned to Marshall HS in 1987. In 1998, the agriculture program moved to what was then the District's newest high school, O'Connor High School, where Tomlinson stayed until his retirement in 2006. He served as a substitute teacher until 2015. With Tomlinson's boundless enthusiasm and expert guidance, students not only honed their agriculture skills but took away valuable life and leadership skills as they prepared for college and careers. They saw firsthand a dedicated educator who instilled character and a work ethic in his students, and developed lasting relationships with families. Though humble in describing his individual accomplishments, Tomlinson credits the agriculture teachers he worked with for the successes of the District's agriculture program and its students through the years.

In the early 1970s, Tomlinson was instrumental in the development of a livestock show and sale for Northside students, now called the Walter Gerlach Livestock Show and Sale. He hasn't missed a show since its creation almost 50 years ago and to date, Gerlach has generated nearly $20 million in scholarships for students. Tomlinson became an auctioneer in 1977 and continues to lend his auctioneering skills at many community and livestock events, including the Northside Education Foundation.

Joey Tomlinson and his wife Linda, a retired NISD educator, have been married since 1968 and live in Bryan, Texas. They are the proud parents of son Jody, a Marshall HS graduate, and grandparents to grandson Jace. Joey Tomlinson is a true trailblazer who will now inspire a new generation of Northside students at Tomlinson Elementary School.