Lora Doris "Dee" Garrison

(Home News Tribune)

DEE GARRISON
AGE: 74 HIGHLAND PARK
Lora Doris "Dee" Garrison, 74, of Highland Park, died Thursday, July 23, 2009 at Sunrise Senior Living in East Brunswick. Dee was born in Cleburne, Texas, and raised in the Corpus Christi area. As a military wife, she traveled widely with her family before settling in New Jersey 37 years ago. Dee received her Ph. D. from the University of California at Irvine. Hired as a Professor of History at Livingston College, Dee was at Rutgers for 32 years, retiring in 2005. She was a pioneer in women's studies and an expert on the '60s and the peace and labor movements. A co-creator of the women's studies program at Rutgers, she trained numerous graduate students in women's history.
Dee received many awards, including a MacArthur Foundation grant. Her books were Apostles of Culture: the Public Librarian and American Society 1876-1920; Rebel Pen: The Writings of Mary Heaton Vorse; Mary Heaton Vorse: the Life of an American Insurgent; and Bracing for Armageddon: Why Civil Defense Never Worked.
A true Texan, Dee championed the rights of the working class, especially working women. She was proud to say that while students loved her, many found her classes very challenging. Dee's love for her husband, John, was aptly captured in John's book "The 18 Stages of Love." A member of the Red Hat Society, she loved a good story, a good book, and a good paper. Dee loved having a dog by her side, especially Lucy Lou. She loved her friends, and the conversations, meals and ideas she shared with us. We shall miss Dee's humanity, wit, and radiant spirit.
She is survived by her husband, John Leggett, of Highland Park; her sons, Tray Garrison of Riverside, CA and Marty Garrison of Santa Ana, CA; her daughters, Britt Leggett of Edmunds, WA and Shannon Leggett of Prague, Czech Republic; her sister, Jeanne Randall of Fullerton, CA, and her grandchildren, Travis, David, and Troy Garrison and Marie Leggett-Vasilieva.
The family will receive friends and relatives today from 2:00 to 5:00 PM at Highland Park Funeral Home, 75 Woodbridge Avenue, Highland Park. A memorial service will be held in September. In lieu of flowers, donations honoring Dee's memory may be made to the Rutgers University Foundation, 120 Albany Street, Suite 201, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901 and designated for the Dee Garrison Fund for Rutgers Graduate Students in Women's History.
For directions or to send e-mail condolence, visit www.hpfuneralhome.com.