It is with great sadness that the family of John Raymond Garrison announces his passing. After a lengthy illness, John died at home November 11, 2023, with his wife of 63 years, Sally Woodruff Garrison, at his side.
The son of R. Wilson and Clara Moore Garrison, John was born and raised next to the Centerton, New Jersey farm of his grandparents, Raymond and Irene Garrison. After John’s maternal grandfather, John Moore, retired from his farm in Elmer, NJ, he resided with John’s family. The memory of Grandmother Garrison’s homemade bread and evenings spent listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio with his Grandfather Moore stayed with him his entire life. From Methodist and Quaker traditions inherited by his family, John learned the importance of service, education and “always to do the right thing.”
John graduated from Bridgeton High School with the class of 1956. He was a conscientious student, editor of the school newspaper, a fullback for the Bulldogs and voted by his class “Most Likely to Succeed.” In later years, he would be accepted into the Bridgeton High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
Following high school graduation, John went on to Harvard College from which, as a member of Leverett House and the Harvard Class of 1960, he received an A.B. degree, majoring in government. This was a time of enlightenment and the development of enduring friendships. He and John Fox, his roommate from Beverly Hills, CA for four years, remained close until John Fox’s passing in 2018.
After graduating from Harvard and completing the Harvard ROTC program, John was assigned to the Military Police at First Army Headquarters, Governors Island, New York where he eventually was promoted to First Lieutenant. Sally, who had caught his eye in high school and whom he married September 10, 1960, joined him and remained a vital part of his life. He was happy that Governors Island’s proximity to lower Manhattan permitted him also to enroll in the Master of Public Administration program at New York University Wagner School of Public Administration. At graduation, he received the Raymond A. Lepesqueur Award for finishing first in his class. In 1997, the NYU Wagner School awarded him the Torch Award for distinguished graduates.
In 1966, John joined New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s staff with responsibilities in health, mental health, narcotics control and social services. He always marveled that Rockefeller hired him without knowing his party affiliation. And Rockefeller never asked. John authored the history of Rockefeller’s 1966 gubernatorial campaign and was a member of Rockefeller’s 1968 presidential election team, working beside Henry Kissinger and Nancy Maginnes (now Kissinger’s wife). After Rockefeller’s defeat, Kissinger joined President Nixon’s cabinet. Kissinger offered John the position of deputy assistant secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, but John decided to take another path, working as Deputy Commissioner for Administration for the New York State Health Department and as Executive Vice-President of the Hospital Association of New York State.
In 1978, John assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer of the National Easter Seal Society based in Chicago. During his twelve-year tenure, the Society’s revenues increased 163% and the number of people reached by Easter Seals’ vital programs doubled. Money Magazine named Easter Seals to its honor roll of the ten best managed charities in America and Business Week magazine featured John as one of the top five non-profit social services executives in the country.
John reaffirmed his career-long commitment to the health and social well-being of all Americans when he went on to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Lung Association, located in New York City. He always was proud that, during his eleven years with ALA, he was the only volunteer health association executive to oppose giving the tobacco industry legal immunity during the industry’s 1997 tobacco settlement negotiations with state attorney generals. His position prevailed, leading former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to describe John as “a man of integrity not easily swayed by public opinion.”
Recognized internationally as an authority in health and management, John gave generously of his time. Among the Boards of Directors John served on are the National Health Council, where he was also a past chairman; Independent Sector; the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (Paris, France); and the National Board for Respiratory Care. He also served on the advisory panel to the National Charities Information Bureau’s Standards Review Project and was a member of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ Professional and Technical Advisory Committee. After his return to South Jersey, he served on the Board of Directors of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, was a member of the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Committee and, for ten years, was on the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) Patient Safety Committee. He also was an adjunct assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
As a public health advocate, John made multiple appearances on NBC’s Today show and the Lehrer Newshour. He also appeared frequently on CBS, ABC, Fox and CNN and co-hosted the award-winning program, World Business Review, with both Casper Weinberger and Alexander Haig.
He was pleased to help the charity Cherish Our Children International (Houston, TX) get on a sound financial footing so it could continue its work with AIDS-infected orphans in Romania and extend its programs to needy children all over the world.
He also was pleased to be the recipient of honorary doctorates from Bellevue University, Bellevue, NE, and Albright College, Reading, PA.
John loved being with good friends and family. He shared with Sally a love of Paris, their Paris apartment and French friends; adventurous travel that took them, often alone, to such places as the Gaza strip, Roma camps, Russia behind the iron curtain, China in 1988, and Estonia where they participated in Hands Across the Baltic. On a small, private day tour in Australia with his college classmate George Gingold and his wife, Anne, they encountered Dave Montgomery, general manager of the Phillies. John, a lifetime fan of the Phillies, was able to tell him (learned from internet news) that a player trade had been completed. Montgomery did not know this.
John also shared with his wife an interest in historic structures that prompted the purchase and careful restoration of their 1728 South Jersey home. The house was featured on HGTV’s Bob Villa show Restore America and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Initially thought of as a resale property, the home’s pleasant allure gradually coaxed John and Sally back to South Jersey. With every move, it was important to John that he purchase a subscription to the nearest symphony whether it was the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra or the Bay-Atlantic Symphony.
John was very proud of his two sons, listening to their needs and interests, sharing with Glenn his love of sports and his interest in government, encouraging Matthew as he followed his passion for art, welcoming their wives, Army Lieutenant Colonel Kristine Garrison and Dr. Qin Huang respectively, and three loving grandchildren – John D. and his wife Kirsten (Couch), Tong Pow and George.
In addition to his immediate family, John is survived by his sisters Clare Hightower and Barbara Gerber and brother-in-law Jimmy Hightower of Woodstown; sister-in-law Jane Carroll and brother-in-law J. Benjamin Carroll of Cazenovia, NY; sister-in-law Gerlinde Woodruff of Manchester, ME, and numerous nieces and nephews. He is pre-deceased by his parents, his nieces Rev. Nancy Carroll Butler and Beverly Hightower, his nephew Brian Gerber, brothers-in-law Terry Gerber, Judge Robert Woodruff and Richard Woodruff and his sister-in-law Elaine Woodruff.
Recently, John was told that two local workers expressed separately their admiration of him. His response: “I always try to do the right thing.”
John’s kind, gentle presence will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
He requested that any contributions in his honor be made to a charity of choice.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, March 23, 2024.
