Neil Sperry

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Neil Sperry is a Texas-based horticulturist best known for Neil Sperry's Texas Gardening weekend mornings on DFW radio station KRLD since 1980; his best-selling Neil Sperry's Complete Guide to Texas Gardening; Neil Sperry's GARDENS Magazine (a bi-monthly publication directed specifically at Lone Star gardeners); and his annual Texas Gardening Calendars. He currently writes for 15 Texas newspapers, and he broadcasts daily to more than 50 markets via the Texas State Network.

Sperry is a native Texan, having grown up in College Station. His father was Professor of Range Management at Texas A&M and his mother was Head Librarian in the TAMU Chemistry Library. He graduated from A&M Consolidated High School as Salutatorian and Student Body President. He owned and operated a nursery during high school and his first two years of college at Texas A&M. His degrees are both from The Ohio State University in floriculture and ornamental horticulture. He worked as a Horticulture Specialist for the Texas Cooperative Extension from 1970-1977 and has remained a strong supporter of the organization throughout his entire career.

Among Sperry's professional awards are: Garden Communicator of the Year (American Association of Nurserymen); American Garden Communicator of the Year (United States Land Grant Universities); Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture (Texas Cooperative Extension); Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Sperry's radio programs, calendars, books and magazine have won presitigious national and regional awards.

Sperry and his wife Lynn have been married since 1967. They are active in their community of McKinney, TX. They were selected together as Volunteers of the Year in 1997. Sperry was selected as McKinney Citizen of the Year in 2003 and Mrs. Sperry won the same award in 2006. Mrs. Sperry has served on the McKinney School Board since 1984 and she served 12 years on the Board of Trustees of the Texas Association of School Boards. She attended Leadership TASB, where she graduated as a Master Trustee. She was a founding member of the McKinney Education Foundation, and Mr. Sperry was a founding member of The Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney Foundation. Both have served on the boards of Avenues Counseling Center (substance abuse and other forms of counseling). They are founding members of the Serenity High Advisory Board (the nation's only public recovery high school). Mr. Sperry has served in leadership of the Denton State School Volunteer Services Council board for many years. Together they were named Living Legends by Collin County Community College in 2007.