Find an Honoree
  • Find an Honoree
  • Hollis L. Harris
  • Foil: 35 Panel: 1 Column: 1 Line: 14

    Wall of Honor Level:
    Air and Space Leader

    Honored by:

    Hollis L. Harris was appointed Chairman, President and CEO of World Airways on May 1, 1999. His office is located at 13873 Park Center Road, Herndon, VA.

    Mr. Harris was Chairman, President and CEO of HLH Corporation in Peachtree City, GA from November 1998 to May 1, 1999.

    He was Chairman and CEO of CalJet Airline located in Long Beach, CA from August 1996 to May 1998.

    Prior to his appointment at World Airways, he was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada. He had joined the company as Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer in February 1992 before taking the top position in January 1993.

    In the year before he joined Air Canada, Mr. Harris held the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Eagle Holdings in Atlanta, Georgia, an aviation consulting firm he founded with four partners.

    Prior to October 1991, he was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Airlines and President and Chief Executive Officer of Continental Airlines Holdings, Inc. Mr. Harris joined Continental in September 1990, following 36 years with Delta Air Lines.

    At Delta, Mr. Harris served on the Board of Directors and was President and Chief Operating Officer for several years. He began his career with that airline in 1954 as a Transportation Agent in the Marketing Division, later becoming an Aircraft Engineer and head of the Aircraft Engineering Department. He continued to rise in the corporation in key management roles in the Facilities Department, In-Flight Service, Passenger Service and Operations.

    Mr. Harris was named President of Delta in 1987 and was responsible for all Marketing, Operations, Technical Operations and Personnel functions.

    A native of Carrollton, Georgia, Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Pepperdine University.

    Mr. Harris served on the Board of Directors of the restructured Continental Airlines. He now serves on the Board of Directors of American Business Products, Inc. He was Chairman of the Canada-Korea Business Council and a member of numerous international organizations, including the International Advisory Board of the British-American Business Council, the International Advisory Board of the Canada/Asia Transport and Trade Forum, the Canada-U.S. Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council on National Issues (BCNI). Mr. Harris was also a member of the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    Mr. Harris is a member of the Georgia Institute of Technology National Advisory Board and the Advisory Board of the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Oglethorpe University and a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is also a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is a member of the Air Advisory Board of GATX Capital Corporation.

    Hollis (H.L.) attended Auburn University for one year after graduating from Carrollton High. He joined the army in January 1951 and spent a little over three years, being discharged in May 1954 as a 1st Lieutenant in the artillery. His last two years were spent in Germany as a battery commander in the 567th Field Artillery Battalion of the 35th FA. Group. Most of this time was during the Korean War.

    In June 1954 he returned to Georgia, went to work for Delta Airlines and started back to school at Georgia Tech. In July 1955 Joyce Entrekin and Hollis were married. They have three children Patti, David and Jeff. They now have four grandchildren Rachel, Michael, Jackson and Mitch. One grandson, David, died at age 9 of leukemia. Joyce and Hollis live in Peachtree City, GA. Patti lives in Peachtree City, David Sr. in Fayetteville, and Jeff on Lake Lanier.

    Wall of Honor profiles are provided by the honoree or the donor who added their name to the Wall of Honor. The Museum cannot validate all facts contained in the profiles.

    Foil: 35

    Foil Image Coming Soon
    All foil images coming soon. View other foils on our Wall of Honor Flickr Gallery