Pioneer Information
Born on August 7, 1907, in Boerne, Texas, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from Texas A&M University in 1931. Between 1931 and 1939 he worked for several Federal Agencies including the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Civil Works Administration, and National Park Service, where he worked on several historic sites.
In 1939 King became Director of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. He assisted in the restoration of the historic “La Villita” area and was active in the preservation of the urban San Antonio River. King used indigenous plants in his work, and, along with Charles Whall, successfully pioneered techniques in large tree moving. From 1951 on, King maintained an office in San Antonio, shared with architect O’Neil Ford and city planner Sam Zisman. During this time he served as landscape and site planning consultant to several large San Antonio institutional projects.
King contributed much effort toward obtaining the landscape architectural registration law in Texas, and he was a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Park and Recreation Society.
