Pappas Honored As Distinguished Alumnus Of Schreiner Universityitle Here

Harris J. Pappas '66 was honored by Schreiner University during the Kerrville school's 2015 Recall homecoming celebration this spring.

Pappas, president of Pappas Restaurants Inc., was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Schreiner. He attended the high school operated by Schreiner during 1959-60 and credits the experience as his first "academic win," which prepared him for later attending Texas A&M.

Pappas was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University in 2001 and of its College of Business in 1999.

 Schreiner University is a four-year liberal arts institution which also offers master's degrees in education and business. It was started in 1923 through a gift from Kerrville merchant and rancher Charles A. Schreiner, the school's namesake.

A biography of Harris, submitted by Schreiner's university relations department, follows.

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Harris J. Pappas had a difficult time with grades as a freshman in a large, Houston public high school. Then his mother heard about Schreiner Institute in Kerrville, and he was enrolled there having never seen the campus.

Changing high schools at mid-year was not easy, but he started Schreiner in January 1959, and ended the year with no demerits and better grades. In fact, his grades were good enough to be a dorm moderator in Dickey Hall his 10th grade year. “The discipline of sitting down and having to do my homework and being on a fixed program helped,” says Pappas, During his sophomore year he was class vice president and competed with the track team. He enjoyed fishing on the Guadalupe River on weekends, but two professors, Boardman Chambers and Henry Tinsley, saw that he also attended church.

“The structure at Schreiner gave me my first academic win,” says Pappas. Unfortunately family finances could not afford two more years of private school, and he returned to Houston. His grades went down again, but he was accepted into Texas A&M after graduation. “I would have loved to have graduated from Schreiner,” he adds, “but the confidence from that year-and-a-half really helped me through college. I knew I could do well if I applied myself.”

Pappas earned bachelor’s degrees in finance and accounting from A&M, then entered the U.S. Army and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant. His service in Thailand and Vietnam earned him two Bronze Stars and three Army Commendation medals.

After his Army service, Pappas joined his family’s growing restaurant business. His grandfather, H. D. Pappas, had emigrated from Greece in 1897 and opened restaurants in Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas. H.D.’s sons, Pete and Jim (Pappas’ father), built a successful restaurant supply business, and then started a restaurant of their own in Houston.

Over the years the Pappas operation expanded into a multi-state operation, including Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Pappas Seafood House, Pappasito's Cantina, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Pappas Burger, and Yia Yia Marys. Pappas also became of chief operating officer of Luby’s Inc., which operates more than 120 cafeterias in five states. He resigned in 2011, but still serves on that company’s board of directors.

Pappas gives generously of his time to numerous organizations and institutions, including the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, the Frost Bank advisory board, the Oceaneering International board of directors, and the Schreiner University board of directors.

Harris Pappas’ youngest son, Tom, had academic problems. “From the beginning, I thought Schreiner would be good for him,” says Pappas, “but his five older siblings had all left the state to go to college and Tom thought he should too.”

After unsuccessful enrollments in two out-of-state schools that offered his favorite sport, lacrosse, Tom was at home attending community college. Pappas had been trying to get his son to check out Schreiner, but he wouldn’t do it.

Pappas invited Tom with him on a business trip to San Antonio, and as they started back to Houston, his son fell asleep in the back seat. Dad turned the car around and drove instead to Kerrville. Tom awakened as they were entering the Schreiner campus and yelled, “You tricked me!” His dad replied that he just wanted to see his old dorm, Dickey Hall.

As it happened, Dickey is now home of the Learning Support Services Program. Father and son were given a tour of the facilities, and a description of what LSS offered. Several months later, Tom asked if he could apply to Schreiner.  In 2012 he earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science.

“He had a great college experience at Schreiner,” says the proud father. “It seems like with every experience Tom had there, a teacher or someone else mentored him. It had a tremendous impact on him.”

“Schreiner is still on course, doing what it was doing when I was there.”

An unexpected result of Tom’s enrollment was a reunion with an old friend. Tom was enrolled in Dr. Robert A. Hunter’s Spanish course and the professor, recognizing his surname, asked Tom about his family. It turned out that “Bobby” Hunter had been Pappas’ roommate during the 1959-60 school year. Dr. Hunter has since passed away, but the old roommates were able to reconnect due to that chance encounter.