The Bill Garrison Memorial Golf Outing is being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cleveland on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Coppertop Golf Course.
For those of you who did not know Bill Garrison, let me tell you a bit about him. A native of Ridgway, Pennsylvania, he spent his childhood years in Findlay, Ohio. As a youth, Bill earned numerous awards in Scouting. Later, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Ohio Bill Wesleyan University, a Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University, and a Master of Science in Management degree from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Early in his career, Bill was a caseworker with the Municipal Court of Chicago and held the same position with the United Cerebral Palsy Association in Philadelphia. After moving to Cleveland, he served as Executive Director of the Cleveland Eye Bank and the Cleveland Society for the Blind, now known as the Cleveland Sight Center, as well as Director of Resource Development and Director of Personnel and Training at the Center for Families and Children. For twenty years, Bill was President and CEO of Lake View Cemetery Association and Vice President of the Lake View Cemetery Foundation. He was also President of the Greater Cleveland Cemetery Association and the Ohio Association of Cemetery Superintendents and Officials.
Bill Garrison was a long-time Rotarian, and he served as President of the Rotary Club of Cleveland in 1997-98. Sadly, he passed away on June 20, 2025, at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife, Mary Jo Lipovec Mlakar, and other family members.
Edward G. Thomas
Professor of Marketing Emeritus
Cleveland State University
330-225-0069
e.thomas@csuohio.edu, edthomascsu@gmail.com