Dr. Julian Sauls

Dr. Julian W. Sauls, 81, entered eternal rest on Friday, June 20, 2025, at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen. Dr. Sauls was born on December 8, 1943, in Tylertown, Mississippi. He spent his childhood in Mississippi and Louisiana but was a resident of Weslaco for 45 years. He earned a BS and MS in Horticulture from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in Fruit Crops from the University of Florida. He was the Extension Citrus Specialist at Texas A&M University’s Agricultural Extension Service (later known as AgriLife Extension Service) from 1980 until his retirement in 2011, after 33 years of dedicated and meritorious service.

As a student, his outstanding scholarship and passion for learning allowed him to skip a grade and graduate as valedictorian of his high school. He continued to excel in college, gaining admission to the honor societies of Alpha Zeta, Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Delta and Scabbard and Blade, playing baseball and basketball, and training as an ROTC cadet.

After college, he lived and worked in Honduras and Mexico for two years before moving to Fort Worth, Texas in 1973, where he served as County Extension Horticulturist for Tarrant County, helped coordinate the Master Gardener Program, and hosted an educational TV show. In 1975, he returned to Florida to work for the Florida Extension Service, then moved permanently back to Texas in 1980.

As Extension Citrus Specialist at Texas A&M, he developed and organized the Extension citrus education program, disseminating information to growers, working with industry representatives and researchers, and conducting research himself at his own groves and nurseries. Over his career, he authored or co-authored over 100 publications, led the team that produced the Texas Citrus Handbook, created the Texas Citrus and Subtropical Fruits website, and published a monthly newsletter, Valley Citrus Notes.

Some of his other accomplishments included serving as Director, Secretary, Vice President, and President of the Edinburg Citrus Association Board, of which he was a member from 1994 until his retirement in 2024. He also served as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Texas Pest & Disease Management Corporation, judged the Texas Citrus Fiesta Youth Show and the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show FH and FFA Shop Division, and testified as an expert witness for DuPont in cases pertaining to citrus. In 2006, he was honored with the Arthur T. Potts Award by the Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society. In 2022, he was crowned King Citrus at the annual Texas Citrus Fiesta in recognition of his substantial contributions to the citrus industry.

In his personal life, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, archery, golf, bowling, softball, crossword puzzles, reading, watching Westerns, tending the orchard that was his life’s passion, and spending quality time with his family. He was a world traveler, avid coin collector, Boy Scout leader, music fan, cat lover, and immeasurably loved husband, father, brother, and uncle. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Sandra Y. Sauls; his children Jillian M. Sauls and Michael J. Sauls; his sisters Darlene Dodson and Deborah Brouillette. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Rosabell Alford and Bruce L. Alford; his sisters Karon Sue Alford Herring and Ina Faye Alford Bodi; his brothers Bruce L. Alford II and Gary M. Alford. A service is scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 11, 2025, at McCaleb Funeral Home. Interment will follow at 12 p.m. at Weslaco Cemetery, 1001 S Illinois Ave.