Harold Franklin Wilson, founder of a well-known Howard County landscaping company and collector of vintage automobiles, died of an embolism Saturday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The longtime Clarksville resident was 76.
Mr. Wilson was born and raised in Highland, and graduated from the old Cooksville High School. "They were segregated schools in those days," said his childhood sweetheart, the former Earline Gaither, whom he married in 1947.
"There was no bus transportation for black children then, so children walked to school, which was quite a distance," said Joan C. Cochran, a Howard County real estate agent and longtime friend.
In his youth, Mr. Wilson worked on a local farm with his father. "By doing farm work, he became interested in plants," Mrs. Wilson said.
After driving a garbage truck for a few years and digging graves at St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Mr. Wilson went to work in 1948 for Andrew Adams, owner of Ten Oaks Nursery -- now Ten Oaks Nursery and Garden Center in Clarksville -- as a foreman.
He remained with the company until 1977, when he established Wilson Landscaping Co. and hired his brother, Irvin B. Wilson, as general foreman.
"Actually, we both had gotten laid off from Ten Oaks. He sold a few of his antique cars for start-up money. We started from scratch and kept on going, and did our work the best way we could," said his brother, who lives in Baltimore. "We began the business with two trucks, a backhoe and four employees. Now, we have 10 trucks, a backhoe, Bobcat and eight employees."
The company's list of regular clients grew to include Ryland Homes, NV Homes, Mark Builders, Harkins Builders and Security Development Co.
"They also did work at Howard County Community College and the Howard County Courthouse. They also landscaped Waterford and Hedgerow, two Clarksville luxury developments, among many others," Mrs. Cochran said.
"Mr. Wilson ran one of the first successful black-owned businesses in Howard County during a time when that kind of success was very rare. He was a warm human being with a boisterous and contagious laugh," she said.
"We called him `Horse' or the `Boss.' He was good-hearted and good to everybody. Everybody just liked him," his brother said.
Mr. Wilson, though semiretired, still went out on jobs and oversaw installations, family members said.
He enjoyed telling stories and was knowledgeable about Howard County history.
Several years ago, Susan Scheidt got him to sit down and tape two interviews for the "History of Highland," an oral-history project sponsored by the Greater Highland Crossroads Association.
"Mr. Wilson was one of our favorite people here and just a fine person. He had grown up in Highland, was a self-made businessman and became a great part of Howard County history. And he should be remembered," Mrs. Scheidt said.
When he wasn't working, he was collecting antique autos. Before selling his collection, he had acquired a blue Model-T Ford and a black Model-A Ford with a rumble seat.
"He also liked to read -- he read a lot -- and watch a little TV," said Mrs. Wilson, who enjoyed taking an occasional spin in one of her husband's cars. "His favorite was a black Ford sedan, and that car rode just like the cars we have today."
Mr. Wilson was a longtime member of Hopkins United Methodist Church, 13250 Highland Road, which his grandparents helped establish in 1884. His funeral will be held there at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Also surviving are two sons, Harold I. Wilson of Catonsville and Robert L. Wilson of Clarksville; a daughter, Dorothy Irene Wilson of Clarksville; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter. Another daughter, Mable Loretta Wilson, died in 2000.
