Philetus Sawyer Harison
P.S. Harison was born in Augusta on February 14, 1926, to William Montgomery Harison Sr. and Kathryn Sawyer Harison. He graduated from ARC in 1943. He followed a family tradition of leadership and service in the community. After ARC, he attended Emory University and the University of Georgia. He married Grace Merry and they raised two sons and a daughter. In 1957, he was elected the Director of Trust Company Bank, serving as chair of the Trust committee for many years. He was also on the Board of Directors of J. Smith Lanier and Company. He was a member of the Tax Assessors Board of Equalization.
Mr. Harison was an important figure in the golf world. He won the GIAA Golf State Championship in 1942. As a member of the Augusta National Golf Club, he served as the Official Starter and Pairings Committee Chair from 1947 to 2007. He has participated in every Masters since the beginning of 1934.
He was elected to the Richmond County Hospital Authority in 1966 and served for years, including terms as Treasurer, Vice-Chairman and Chair. In the absence of an Administrator, the Hospital Authority authorized Harison and the late Harry Jernigan to be Co-Administrators. He served on the Board of Walton Rehabilitation Hospital, including as Chair. After a tragic accident involving one of his sons, he organized a capital campaign to build Harison Heights in 1966 to fill the community's need for an independent living facility for those with physical disabilities.
He was very active in the non-profit community, serving on the boards of the Episcopal Day School, the American Cancer Society, the Augusta Radiation Center, the Augusta Area Mental Health Association, Historic Augusta, the Augusta Speech and Hearing Center, the Augusta-Richmond County Historical Society, the First Tee, and the University Health Care Foundation. He was a trustee of Summerville Cemetery. He also served on the Creel-Harison Foundation, a Major Philanthropic Foundation, including fifteen years as President. Mr. Harison died in April 2008, after a Lifetime of Contribution in August.