Garrison, Alice King, 1906-2002

Alice Jane King was born November 30, 1906, in Chicago, Illinois. King attended Northwestern University as an undergraduate in the early 1920s. She was an active athlete and club member. King eventually earned a Master's and worked as a teacher.

The King family moved to Wilmette, Illinois during Alice's childhood. She attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, graduating 36 th out of a class of 206, on June 20, 1924. While a Senior at New Trier, King was elected to The New Trier (TNT) club, an honorary society representing “the highest all-around distinction a student can attain.” She excelled in athletics throughout her life. This strength was first evidenced in High School, and continued throughout her time at Northwestern University and her professional career. Both parents were graduates of Northwestern University, College of Liberal Arts, her father, Karl David King, in 1899 and her mother, Bessie C. Smith King, in 1900. Her church affiliation was Congregational.

While at Northwestern University King lived in Willard Hall. She was an active member of several Athletic Associations, including the Women's Athletic Association (W.A.A.), in which she was a member from 1924-1928 and served as an Officer and Secretary for the 1925-1926 academic year. She was a member of the Daughter of Neptune Swimming Association, an Honorary Swimming club for Women, where she held the position of President and Presiding Officer in 1927-1928. She was also a member of the Alpha Beta of Theta Sigma Phi, an Honorary Fraternity for Women in Journalism; and Kappa Alpha Theta, a Social Sorority that focused on high scholarship. King was also a member of the Northwestern University Student Congress in 1927 and 1928. She graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Certificate in Physical Education in June, 1928.

In 1927 King participated on the Y.W. and Y.M.C.A. Circus Board, where she also worked with John Plowman in the “Property” position for the Circus. The Circus (held in Patten Gym), was an annual event for Northwestern University, and community, from 1908 to 1950, with proceeds benefiting Northwestern University Settlement, and later the Y.W. and Y.M.C.A., as well as the University's Student Loan Fund. From 1927-1931 King was a camp counselor at Camp Bryon Afon. From 1928-1931 she taught Physical Education at Deerfield Shields High School.

From 1931-1932, King did graduate course work at Northwestern University Graduate School and Teachers College at Columbia University (New York), receiving her MA from Teachers College.

In 1935, King taught at Gardner School in New York City. In that same year she married Eli Welch Garrison, a 1929 graduate of Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina. After the couple's marriage, they moved to Wilmette, Illinois. Their first child, Lester LeRoy, was born August 12, 1939.

King was a teacher throughout her career. One 1946 notation in her records indicates that she was a “Special teacher for crippled children.” She also taught in the Wilmette Public Schools and at New Trier High School. She was a member of the League of Women Voters and the PTA. Her husband, a salesman for Remington Rand, died in 1993.

Alice King Garrison has retired from teaching and currently resides in Sun City, California.

From the guide to the Alice King Garrison (1906-2002) Scrapbook, 1924-1928, (Northwestern University Archives)