Dr. George W. Garrison says he’s not
“quitting, just backing down” from duties at The University of
Tennessee Space Institute, nevertheless he has been designated
as “Professor Emeritus.”
“I’m not really leaving,” quipped Garrison. “They’re just paying
me less.” He will continue teaching and participating in short
courses, he promised.
Since joining UTSI’s faculty in 1983 as professor of Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering, Garrison has held several top
leadership positions while also writing significant proposals,
developing and presenting numerous short courses, and playing an
active role in the Institute’s distance education program.
Though fascinated with the dynamics of leadership, it is the
teaching and the “positive experience of working with some
really good people” that the soft-spoken Garrison ranks highest
in his career. He says, “Teaching and interacting with students
has provided the most personal satisfaction over the years.”
Dr. John E. Caruthers, UT associate vice president and UTSI’s
chief operating officer, also zeroed in on Garrison’s teaching
as he announced the “Emeritus” title during a retirement party
in the Institute’s lobby on Dec. 9. Citing Garrison’s “attitude,
integrity, and loyalty,” he added, “When we needed help, he was
one of the first persons we called on. He was willing and always
did the job well and did it on time.”
The Institute family also gave Garrison a collector’s
classic-style radio from the 50’s.
A native of Statesville, N.C., Garrison earned bachelor’s,
master’s, and doctoral degrees in Mechanical Engineering from
North Carolina State University and, in 1980, a Master of
Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University. He
came to work for Sverdrup Technology at AEDC in 1966 and spent
15 years at AEDC before joining the University of Tennessee,
first as a faculty member at UT Chattanooga for two years before
joining the UTSI faculty in 1983.
Garrison had written his dissertation on electrical propulsion
and was keenly interested in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). During
his time at AEDC, he worked on several MHD projects related to
space and ground based power systems.
At UTSI he was a project manager in the Energy Conversion
Program (ECP) supporting the development of a coal-fired,
base-load MHD power system. He also taught in the Engineering
Management program, a MS degree program designed to provide
engineers and scientists the skills to run a business or manage
a technical organization.
“Engineering education prepares you to solve technical problems,
but it doesn’t prepare you to manage people,” Garrison says. “It
doesn’t provide you the communication, interpersonal, or
organizational skills necessary to be an effective manager. The
EM program is designed to help fill that void.”
Garrison said he has had “several interesting and challenging
projects while at UTSI. I was fortunate to work with Dr. Fred
Speer and Dr. Bill Davis in proposing and winning a contract for
a NASA Space Commercialization Center. The award resulted in the
formation of a not for profit corporation called the Center for
Space Transportation and Applied Research (CSTAR).”
The State of Tennessee constructed a building for CSTAR, and
Garrison went full time as assistant director, later being named
executive director of the center. Although ranked as one of the
top NASA centers, CSTAR was unable to attract sufficient
industry funding to be self sustaining, and the center closed in
1994.
Garrison was UTSI’s chief operating officer in 2000 and 2001.
Two years later, he was named director of a statewide
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).
This is a National Science Foundation sponsored project with
participation from universities across the state.
“We sponsored five town meetings and four technical meetings
across the state,” Garrison noted. “These meetings pointed
clearly to the lack of broad-band cyber-infrastructure as a
primary barrier to Tennessee’s being a first class research
state. This was critical. EPSCoR provided the impetus to put
together a developmental plan for the state. Writing this plan
involves a lot of people. We have never had this kind of
collaboration before. This is just what we needed.”
EPSCoR got the state involved, Garrison said, and the program’s
initiative “has resulted in more than $10 million in additional
research projects for Tennessee researchers in the last two
years.”
Also, as part of the EPSCoR initiative, Garrison insists that
“we must attract more kids into science, math, and engineering,
and this effort must start in the K-12 classrooms.”
Looking back, Garrison says, “I have enjoyed my career. The
projects, the successes and the failures were all a learning
experience. Every project was unique, different. The main thing
I’ve liked about the University is the freedom to choose what
you work on, the level of theory and application, and to try new
things. That’s what a university is all about: To create
knowledge, educate people, and provide a pubic service. I’ve
never regretted going into engineering. I enjoyed learning new
things and being exposed to new ideas starting with my
undergraduate experience at NC State.”
Now he and his wife Carole – with whom he lives in Estill
Springs -- hope to do some traveling, perhaps taking a “barefoot
cruise” on a clipper ship in Europe. Their daughter Renee Hyde
of Winchester is Director of Special Education for Tullahoma’s
school system. Their son Walker, who has his Ph.D. in Chemical
Engineering, works for Cinergy, Inc. in Houston, Texas. The
Garrisons have three grandchildren.
Dr. and Mrs. Garrison stand with Dr. John Caruthers just after he had announced the retiring professor’s status as "Professor Emeritus."
Dr. John Caruthers, left, presents a classic 1950’s radio to retiring Dr. George Garrison, who holds a plaque identifying him as "Professor Emeritus."
-- UTSI Photos
Writer: Weldon Payne (931) 393-7222
wpayne@utsi.edu
