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Roll Call Tribute

Henry "Whit" Phillips Jr. '48 August 6, 2021 2:09 PM updated: November 29, 2021 8:34 AM

Henry Whit Phillips Jr.
June 11, 1924 – May 30, 2021

Henry “Whit” Phillips Jr., 96, died peacefully at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 30,2021. He was born in rural northeast Texas on June 11, 1924 to parents Henry Whit, Sr., and Della Mae Phillips.

Raised as an only child during the hard times of the Great Depression, Whit helped his parents around their small grocery store and butcher shop, learning the values of perseverance, hard work, and education. He completed high school at age 16 and left home to enroll in Texas A&M University as a member of the Corps of Cadets. After two years at Texas A&M, his formal education was interrupted when the entire Junior Class deployed to Europe as infantry in World War II.

Having achieved marksman status at A&M, he was placed on the front lines where he was wounded three times, subsequently being awarded three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star Medal for his valiant service. The Bronze Star Medal citation reads in part: “Private First Class Henry W. Phillips, Jr., Infantry, Company “B”, 411th Regiment. Under the provision of AR 600-45, 22 September 1943, as amended, you are awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroism in action. During the daylight hours of 14 December, 1944, in the vicinity of Wissembourg, Germany, Private Phillips, advancing in a forward position...was pinned to the ground by well concealed machine gun fire. Not knowing the location of the hostile gun, Private Phillips fired on the possible location of the enemy position and immediately received a burst of machine gun fire...Despite his wounds and the accuracy of the enemy fire, he, with utter disregard for his life, courageously exchanged fire with the hostile position although bursts of enemy fire twice sent his helmet spinning to the ground. Determining the location of the enemy, he withdrew … Undeterred, he crawled on with his information, reaching his platoon leader. As a result of Private Phillips’ magnificent valor, the company, informed of the location, brought mortar fire to bear on the hostile position successfully destroying it.”

At the end of WW II, he returned to Texas A&M and had the good fortune of meeting with famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, who noted in a conversation with Whit, “you are the one.” Inspired by this, Whit went on to earn a Bachelor of Architecture from the university. Upon leaving the university, he briefly designed aircraft parts but he wanted to do more architecture rather than mechanical engineering, so he worked for small architectural firms in the Dallas, TX, and Albuquerque, NM, areas. In the early 1950s, he accepted a job as an architect with the State of Texas Department of Health in Austin, overseeing the distribution of the Hill-Burton Funds allocated for hospital construction throughout the state.

During this time he began raising a family of three girls. He was offered a position at the prestigious architectural firm, Page Southerland Page Architects (the oldest architectural firm in Texas), which is renowned for its part in the design and construction of the Texas State Capitol in the 1880s. Whit specialized in the design of hospitals, designing them in Texas, the United States and abroad. He also designed the Ohio State College of Medicine. Additionally, he designed several US military medical facilities, most notably what is now known as Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. One of his major clients was the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word which is now part of Christus Health.

Retiring in 1987, he and his wife, Dotty Phillips, relocated to Las Colinas in Irving, TX. From there they continued to travel all over the world, visiting more than 108 countries.

Whit was preceded in death by his parents Henry, Sr. and Della Mae Phillips, daughter Deedie Arnold, and stepson Steve Duke.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Dorothy M. Phillips, daughters Elizabeth and Debra Phillips, stepdaughter Cheri Yori, son-in-law Robert Arnold, grandchildren Kia and Jordan Huggins, Isral Christopher and Jivka Duke, Stephani Yori, Melissa and Kevin Martin, Phillip Yori, and great grandchildren Colton Allen, Brodie and Lilly Huggins, and Zoe Martin.

A memorial will be held at a later date in Fort Worth, TX.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Salvation Army or Community Hospice of Fort Worth Texas.

If you have a story or image that you would like to share here, then please send an email to the family at whitphillipsjr@gmail.com to make arrangements.

The whole family would like to send a sincere “Thank You and Blessings” to everyone that has already come forward with kind words, stories and photos of their time with him.

It means so much to us to know how deeply he was loved and appreciated by so many.



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