John P. Holmes

JANUARY 2021

John P. Holmes spent 43 wonderful years in Conroe. Following his parents to Conroe in 1954 after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War, he founded several businesses in and around Montgomery County including: Great Southern Tire, Rev-Tex Marine (the first boat dealership and marina on Lake Conroe), Holmes Tire Co., Holmes Car Clinic, and Southway Tire Co. After a brief retirement from the automotive and boating industry, he was an early investor and board member of several local banks and real estate ventures, which led to his ownership of several night clubs in the FM 1960 area, including Willie Nelson’s Nite Life in the early 1990s.

He served our community in many civic organizations including: Chairman of this Chamber in 1975, when he successfully lobbied for President Ford to visit Conroe in 1976. In 1973 he was recognized by the Commissioner’s Court as Montgomery County’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year. He was a founder and Past President of the Montgomery County Jaycees; a member, Past President, and Paul Harris Fellow of the Conroe Rotary Club; a lifetime committee member of the Montgomery County Fair Association and the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo; and was a founding member of the Conroe Industrial Park.

In 1973 he was elected to the Montgomery County Hospital Board and served until 1987. He was instrumental in both building Medical Center Hospital (now HCA Houston Healthcare – Conroe) and coordinating among several county agencies to make Montgomery County the first county in the State to have 100% county-wide participation in the 9-1-1 emergency response system. Mr. Holmes passed away in October of 1997.