HARRISON TO SPEAK AT UNA COMMENCEMENT DEC. 12
December 4, 2008
FLORENCE, Ala. — The University of North Alabama will host Laura McAnnally Harrison, of Indian Hill, Ohio, as speaker for its fall commencement ceremony Dec. 12. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in Flowers Hall.
Growing up in Cullman County, Ala., Harrison graduated from Hanceville High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree from UNA, then Florence State Teachers College, in 1955. She married her husband, Donald Harrison, while he was attending medical school and worked as a secretary until the arrival of their children.
Harrison serves on the pastoral care and fellowship committees of the Indian Hill Church. She has served on the board of trustees of the Inter Parish Ministry, an outreach organization of several churches, and was a Stephen Minister, offering lay counseling during crisis. In 2007, she received the Circle of Hope Award in recognition of her ongoing contributions to the Inter Parish Ministry. She is a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a philanthropic educational organization whose purpose is for the education of women, both national and international. She is also a member of the board of trustees for the Indian Hill Historical Society and a member of the garden club.
Harrison and her husband have contributed funds to establish endowments for the Laura M. Harrison Professor of English and the Laura M. Harrison Scholarship Fund. She was selected as one of UNA’s Alumni of the Year in 2005.
In 2002, the Harrisons gifted to the UNA Foundation the Laura M. Harrison Plaza and the Harrison Entrance of the UNA campus. The plaza and its centerpiece, a carved Italian limestone fountain, now serve as a signature focal point for the campus community.
Harrison and her husband have three children and eight grandchildren.
PHOTO AVAILABLE: For a photo of Harrison, contact the Office of University Communications at 256-765-4225 or jlwoods1@una.edu.
