After more than 20 years of public service in Tomball, former Mayor and Superintendent H.G. “Hap” Harrington died May 17 at the age of 81.

Harrington served as mayor of Tomball for five terms from 1992-07, longer than any other mayor in the city’s history, according to city documents. During Harrington’s tenure, the city underwent a number of improvement projects, including the restoration of the Tomball Historic Depot.

Before he was elected as mayor, Harrington also served for 10 years as the superintendent of Tomball ISD from 1980-90. Former TISD Superintendent John Neubauer said he worked closely with Harrington during this time and remembered him as a devoted educator and friend.

“Hap was a very special, talented person,” Neubauer said. “He was wonderful. We got along fine because when he came to Tomball, I was a high school principal. And he was a high school principal at Klein [ISD before] coming over to be superintendent, so we had a lot in common.”

In addition to increasing the number of schools in the area at a time when the district was growing quickly, Harrington helped to open up communications between faculty members and encouraged students to get involved, Neubauer said.

“One of the greatest things about him was that he was a cheerleader—he loved kids and student activities, and he hardly missed any of them as superintendent,” he said. “He loved pep rallies and all kinds of athletics; he loved the band, the choir [and] anything extracurricular.”

Neubauer said Harrington’s high level of involvement as superintendent helped to attract more educators and coaches to improve the district.

Neubauer said participation in marching band, choir and atheltic programs rose significantly under Harrington’s leadership.

“He was always more supportive than he was a boss,” Neubauer said. “I remember what he used to say: ‘As a principal, never forget what it’s like to be a teacher, and teachers should never forget what it’s like to be a student.’”

While serving as mayor, Tomball City Secretary Doris Speer said Harrington was instrumental in implementing the local 2-cent sales tax to boost economic development in the city, improving parks and creating a good work environment for city employees.

“He was fun to work with and was a very positive person to work for,” Speer said. “He was big on Tomball—sharing it with everyone and telling them how great it is.”