John A. Harris, a pioneer in commercial development, died on Nov. 8 at age 76. Harris spent 42 years at Hines, Houston. He began a conceptual construction group that offers predevelopment services, and was involved with more than 130 million sq ft of Class A space. Calling him a great negotiator, Gerald D. Hines says Harris “captured the respect of major architects,” among them Philip Johnson, Robert A.M. Stern and Frank Gehry. Harris was born on Aug. 26, 1932. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1954 with a B.S. in civil engineering. After college, he served in the U.S. Army, until 1956. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Patricia, seven children and nine grandchildren.