The University of Central Arkansas recently celebrated, with a host of family, friends and former players, the endowment of an athletic scholarship fund named in honor of the late Dr. Cecil ?Red? Garrison, a beloved professor and coach.
Family and friends donated $25,000 to the UCA Foundation to endow a scholarship for student athletes. A standing-room only crowd joined Garrison?s widow, Thelma, in UCA?s Buffalo Alumni Hall as an endowment plaque was unveiled. The plaque will be placed among more than 75 others on the Donor Wall of Honor in the lobby of McCastlain Hall.
“The establishment of the Dr. Cecil ‘Red’ Garrison Athletic Scholarship is a true testament of the impact one person can have on so many lives,” said Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Development Kelley Erstine. “Now, the memory of Dr. Garrison will live on as the scholarship named in his honor touches the lives of thousands of student athletes to come.”
Garrison coached basketball, football and track at UCA during the 1940s and 50s. His men’s basketball teams combined for a 154-81 record from 1949-58, and he led UCA to an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) state title in 1956 and an Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference title in 1957.
“Dr. Cecil ‘Red’ Garrison — that name evokes endearment from so many people,” said UCA President Lu Hardin. “His wife, Thelma, is equally loved and respected by the UCA community.”
Thelma said her late husband would have been proud of the scholarship. “Cecil won lots of honors, but none of that compares to this, and all of you get the credit because you made this happen,” she told the crowd.
