Last updated on July 20, 2022
Garvin Louis Tate, Jr., born January 26, 1946, passed away on June 10, 2022 after an extended illness. Garvin was born in Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Garvin Louis Tate, Sr. and Lucile Parrish Tate. He was raised in New Orleans, later moving to Tyler, Texas as his father’s career progressed, eventually leading them to Highland Park, Dallas, Texas where he graduated high school in 1964. His love of learning led him to Boston, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, a subject that he revisited throughout his life, manifested in his extensive John Dewey collection. He also loved history and all facets of the humanities, as his ever-expanding library demonstrates.
After his graduation he founded and directed a private school for at risk youth in New Hampshire. Many of the students enrolled there went on to earn advanced professional degrees and contacted him later to express their gratitude.
Garvin next enrolled in a doctoral program in Education at UMass-Amherst. It was there he met his great love, Nancy Brauneis, who would become his wife in the early 1970s. They enjoyed forty years together until her death in 2014. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Rockwall County, Texas, to work with his father on Tate Farms. It was there that they raised their three sons and became local civic leaders. Garvin served as Fire Chief for the McLendon Chisholm Volunteer Fire Department for twenty years. He was instrumental in their formation. He was active in shaping the county’s growth trajectory, helping to maintain the county’s rural qualities while promoting healthy growth. One of his personal achievements was his strategy for blocking a proposed major landfill in the county. He was also influential in stopping the relocation and expansion of the Rockwall Airport to the southeast corner of Rockwall County. He served on the Open Space Alliance Board, The Rockwall County Historical Commission, The Rockwall County Library Board, was a member of the National Endowment for The Humanities, and was on the Board of Directors for Lonestar CASA.
He was a generous philanthropist, donating time and resources locally, nationally, and internationally. He established a scholarship for Philosophy majors at his first alma mater, Suffolk University, supporting many students. He delivered history lectures on a number of topics for various organizations, including multiple universities. He was also incredibly generous with those in need and quick to offer assistance, often to strangers referred to him by friends.
Garvin was an early pioneer of digital technology, opening a digital arts business during the 1990s. His technical artwork included projects for the National Endowment of the Arts, Texas Humanities, The Old Red Court House and the Hall of State at Fair Park for which he crafted the first digital composite copy of the Hall’s murals without the columns.
He loved exploring other cultures and collecting artifacts. He collected Tibetan artifacts and Minoan based art and texts. His studies of the Native American Kiowa and Comanche Tribes led to his research of Quanah Parker, and his subsequent friendships with the Parker family, including invitations to their personal gatherings. His collection includes paintings by Native Americans of The Great Plains, including a collection of ledger art from Fort Marion and paintings by Stephen Mopope, a member of the “Kiowa Six.”
Another favorite research topic was early Rockwall County History. Like discovering the stories of General John Summerfield Griffith who owned “The Griffith League,” which is the area of Rockwall County where Tate Farms is located today. His research led to a generally unknown but pivotal action in the Civil War of the Rockwall Calvarie’s raid on Holly Springs, Mississippi. Another topic which became a popular lecture.
Garvin had a great love of adventure and travel. He had explored many of the far-flung places in the world – from the Egyptian Pyramids to St. Petersburg to the Greek Isles and South America. He never lost his love and wonder of discovery and learning.
In 2018, Garvin married Connie Miller Tate, a Rockwall native, and college professor. They enjoyed travel and all things academic together.
He had a multitude of friends, particularly in his hometown, and was always delighted to spend time with them. He was a Rockwall icon, a diligent, brilliant, determined philosopher-rancher who loved his land and the family he raised on it.
“I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my position & calling, it should have been on a rich spot of earth, well-watered, and near a good market for the productions of the garden. No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, but tho’ an old man, I am but a young gardener.” -Thomas Jefferson
Garvin L. Tate, Jr. is survived by his wife, Connie Tate, his son Evan Tate and wife Melissa, children Emily Tate, Ethan Tate, and Micah Mackaly; Erin Tate, mother of Emily and Ethan Tate; his son Nathan Tate and wife Laura, children Grayson Tate and Cameron Tate; and his son Brandon Tate and wife Tayler, children Braden Tate and Braxton Tate. He is also survived by stepchildren Randi Clary Wickham and her husband Greg, children Lennon and Logan Wickham, and Ryan Clary and his son, Ian Clary. He is also survived by Nancy Tate’s extended family, Barbara and Bob Fisher, Alan and Dina Brauneis, and their children and grandchildren, who he deemed family throughout his life.
A come-and-go memorial gathering will be held in the chapel at Tate Farms, Rockwall, Texas, on July 30, 2022, from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Friends and family welcome.
