Thomas R. Hargrove was raised on a cotton farm in West Texas, but has spent most of his adult life in South-east Asia. He received his B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from lowa State University.
In 1988, he received the ACE Professional Award, the Highest honor given to a single communicator by Agricultural Communicators in Education, a 650-member professional society based in the USA. Hargrove was the first awardee honored for work done outside North America. He also received the 1988 ACE Award of Excellence in International Affairs.