By Kaitlin Hoskins, News Editor
“Just one more time, I want to tell you ‘Thank you’.”
Lt. Col. Carl Harrison spoke those words nearly a year ago to a packed-out gym at Gadsden City High School. Former students, current students, faculty and staff members, board of education members, city leaders and more were gathered on November 8, 2023 for a Veterans Day program.
The program doubled as a retirement party for Harrison who had retired earlier that year.
This year, just shy of Veterans Day, the community is mourning the death of Harrison, who died October 18 at his residence. He was 91.
The hole Harrison left behind was felt immediately in the community. A Facebook post made by the Gadsden City Schools system announcing his passing had over 1,200 reactions and hundreds of shares. It also had hundreds of comments from people expressing their love and gratitude for Harrison. In over 200 comments, not a single negative word was written.
Harrison loved his family, his county and his faith. He also loved his former students and often referred to them as his children, and the children of those former students were seen as his grandchildren. Over the years, he amassed a large family made up of students.
“No one has done more for the students than The Colonel,” is what Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Keith Blackwell said at last year’s Veterans Day program at Gadsden City High School.
Harrison is remembered as a humble man. He was known for giving other people the credit for a job done well. He always had a kind word to say to anyone he spoke with.
Harrison, born August 11, 1933 in Pell City, graduated from Gadsden High School in 1952 and directly following his high school graduation he began his life-long career in the military in the ROTC program at Polytechnic Institute (now named Auburn University).
In 1953 he moved on to Jacksonville State University and later, in January of 1957, he earned his degree in secondary education and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant through the ROTC program.
In March of 1957, Harrison entered active duty at Fort Eustis in Virginia. While there, he completed transportation officer basic course and received his first assignment to the transportation terminal command post in Newfoundland, Canada.
Harrison was stationed around the world throughout his military career. The Infantry Center Troop Command at Fort Benning in Georgia in 1960; Railway Maintenance Activity in Heidelberg, Germany in 1961; Air Calvary Division in Vietnam in 1965; back to Fort Eustis for transportation officer career training in 1966; and after completion of that course he was sent to the 12th US ASA Field Station in Chitose, Japan.
Harrison completed 20 years of active duty before officially retiring in 1976.
After retiring from the military, he was not quite done with his acts of service. He was approached about creating a JROTC program at Carver High School in Birmingham. He spent seven years there, leading the program, before being asked to create a JROTC program in his hometown of Gadsden. He created programs for all three of the high schools in Gadsden in 1984 (Gadsden High, Emma Sansom High and Litchfield High) and continued leading the program once the three high schools consolidated in 2006 until his retirement in 2023.
Harrison and his wife Marlene Clark Harrison celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in January of this year. They have two sons together, Rick and Mike.
Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford said Harrison is “one of the finest men” he has ever know.
“He positively influenced the lives of so many during his life of service, mine included,” Ford said. “I am grateful for who he was, his leadership for our community and for his legacy which now outlives him through the lives of everyone he has impacted and their families. He leaves Gadsden much better than he found it,” Ford said, “and all of us who remain behind can only hope to live up to his example.”
Ford attended the special Veterans Day program in 2023 and gifted Harrison a proclamation, which proclaimed November 8, 2023 as Lt. Col. Carl Harrison Day in the city.
During his speech, Ford became emotional briefly, saying that it was an honor to be presenting Harrison with a proclamation.
“[Harrison] I’m not an emotional person,” Ford said. “But when it comes to you, I am. It is quite an honor for me [to present this proclamation]. You represent the City of Gadsden and the State of Alabama and the country’s standards. It is an honor to be here to present this to you.”
Ford thanked Harrison for his duty — not only to his country, but to his city as well.
Harrison, in turn, thanked Ford and the city school system for always supporting him. Harrison, while holding back tears, said, “I hope that everybody can experience such a humble occasion.”
“Oh man, this is just so humbling. Just one more time, I want to tell you ‘thank you’ and my family thanks you and it’s just been wonderful… Thank you.”
Harrison was laid to rest Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Crestwood Cemetery.