Shirley Garrison, a local philanthropist devoted to causes such as aging and Alzheimers research, died Friday, Dec. 13 at the age of 94.
According to his daughter, Sharon Walker, Garrison died around 6:30 a.m., at his home on Fourth Street in Lubbock.
Born on June 3, 1919 in Detroit, Tex., Garrison graduated from Texas Tech in 1940 with a bachelor of science in agricultural education.
“He was a great supporter of Texas Tech. He loved Texas Tech,” said Chancellor Kent Hance.
According to an obituary submitted to A-J Media by his family, Garrison served in World War II, and afterwards spent two years in Europe working for a food distribution and agricultural rehabilitation program.
He married Mildred Welch in 1941.
In 1966, after serving as a teacher for the USDA Returning Veterans Agriculture Program, Garrison formed Garrison Seed Company. In 1983, he became president of the Bar G. Feed Yard in Summerfield, and in 1987, he took the position of chairman of the board of the First State Bank of Dimmitt, which later became First United Bank.
According to prior Avalanche-Journal coverage, Garrison first started to notice signs of Alzheimer’s in his wife, Mildred, in 1991.
He and his wife donated $1 million to the Sears Methodist Retirement System to develop a geriatric care facility. Mildred became the eighth person enrolled in the Mildred and Shirley L. Garrison Geriatric Care and Learning Center in 2002.
Garrison visited his wife up to three times a day.
The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center’s Institute for Healthy Aging was renamed in the Garrisons’ honor after a $5 million dollar pledge. In 2005, it was dubbed the Garrison Institute on Aging.
“It’s been a vehicle to use with the public for healthy aging,” said Tedd Mitchell, president of TTUHSC. “(Garrison was) a very vibrant man himself. He was always around. He was a presence.”
While visiting Mildred in the geriatric care center, Garrison met other people caring for spouses or parents stricken with Alzheimer’s. They bonded.
“We call ourselves the Forget-Me-Nots. There are 12 of us in the group,” Garrison told the A-J in 2008.
Mildred died in 2006.
Garrison had met LuCille Simons, who’s husband had also died of Alzheimer’s, in the Forget-Me-Nots group. She and Garrison married in 2007.
“He always had a great smile,” Hance said. “He always saw the good in people.”
Hance announced Garrison’s death to Tech administrators at the Board of Regents meeting Friday, Dec. 13.
“It’s a great, great loss,” said Regent Debbie Montford. “Hance was very right in bringing this up to everybody today.”
Garrison is survived by his wife, Lucille Minton Simons Garrison; three children: Harvey Garrison, Sharon Walker and Pam Carrothers; five grandchildren: Erika Miller, Todd Miller, Kelsey Garrison, Molly Goebel and Jack Goebel; and many nephews, nieces and extended family.
“I just know that he will be missed by many people,” Walker said. “He had a great impact on many, many lives, so we will all miss him.”
blake.ursch@lubbockonline.com
• 766-8722
Follow Blake on Twitter
@BlakeUrsch_AJ
0 comments:
Post a Comment