He spent nine years there before moving to Holmes High School for five years where he helped start the school's agriculture program. After two years at Madison High School in North East ISD, Tomlinson returned to Marshall HS in 1987. In 1998, the agriculture program moved to what was then the District's newest high school, O'Connor High School, where Tomlinson stayed until his retirement in 2006. He served as a substitute teacher until 2015. With Tomlinson's boundless enthusiasm and expert guidance, students not only honed their agriculture skills but took away valuable life and leadership skills as they prepared for college and careers. They saw firsthand a dedicated educator who instilled character and a work ethic in his students, and developed lasting relationships with families. Though humble in describing his individual accomplishments, Tomlinson credits the agriculture teachers he worked with for the successes of the District's agriculture program and its students through the years.
In the early 1970s, Tomlinson was instrumental in the development of a livestock show and sale for Northside students, now called the Walter Gerlach Livestock Show and Sale. He hasn't missed a show since its creation almost 50 years ago and to date, Gerlach has generated nearly $20 million in scholarships for students. Tomlinson became an auctioneer in 1977 and continues to lend his auctioneering skills at many community and livestock events, including the Northside Education Foundation.
Joey Tomlinson and his wife Linda, a retired NISD educator, have been married since 1968 and live in Bryan, Texas. They are the proud parents of son Jody, a Marshall HS graduate, and grandparents to grandson Jace. Joey Tomlinson is a true trailblazer who will now inspire a new generation of Northside students at Tomlinson Elementary School.