Dr. Guy Grady Garrison was born on December 17, 1927 in Akron, Ohio. Over the course of his academic career, he earned a BA in English from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1950, an MS in Library Service from Columbia University in 1954, and a PhD in Library Science from the University of Illinois in 1960. He began his professional career in public libraries in Illinois and Missouri, then moved to the university setting as a professor and director of the Library Research Center at the Graduate School of Library Science at the University of Illinois. In 1968, he was appointed professor and dean of the Graduate School of Library Science at Drexel University.

Dr. Garrison served as dean at Drexel for nineteen years until 1987, when he became the first Alice B. Kroeger professor, a position he retained until his retirement in 1992. During his years as dean, the library school diversified its faculty, strengthened its research efforts, and changed its name to the School of Library and Information Studies in 1984. Other noteworthy efforts included the total renovation of the Rush Building, dedication of the Alumni Garden in 1981, and establishment of the Sigma chapter of Beta Phi Mu honor society at Drexel in 1969.

Dr. Garrison was a life member of the American Library Association (ALA), and he was also active in the Association for Library and Information Science Education. Dr. Garrison participated in many meetings and workshops in countries including England, France, Denmark, Portugal, Finland, Israel, Brazil and Japan. In 1992 he received ALA's Beta Phi Mu award for distinguished service to library and information science, particularly for the development of GSLIS's Library Research Center in 1962, the first organized research unit in a library school. Beta Phi Mu also started a scholarship in his name that is awarded to an outstanding master's student. In recognition for his service to Drexel University and his contributions to the field of information studies, Drexel conferred upon Dr. Garrison the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in 2011.

In retirement, he served as president of the Friends of Tredyffrin Library and enjoyed travel, gardening, and opera. He was an active member of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, where he established the Guy and Joanne Garrison Book Fund. On May 13, 2013, Dr. Garrison died of heart failure at his home in Radnor at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife, the former Joanne Ruth Sergeant; a daughter, Anne; a granddaughter; a brother; a sister; three nieces and three nephews.

Sources:

Bonnie L. Cook, "Guy G. Garrison, professor and dean at Drexel iSchool," Philadelphia Inquirer, 23 May 2013.

Garrison, Guy (folder), Biographical reference collection (Collection UR.10.002), Drexel University Archives

"Sigma Chapter Scholarships," Beta Phi Mu, Sigma Chapter (website), https://cci.drexel.edu/bpm/scholarships.aspx