Elon honored Gail McMichael Drew, Blanche Garrison and Fred Watts Jr. with Elon Medallions during a ceremony Monday, Aug. 23 in McCrary Theatre on campus. The medallion is given to individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the university.
Drew was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1993 and has served Elon in a number of important roles. She was chair of the development committee from 1995-1996, vice chair of the board from 1997-1999, a member of the presidential search committee in 1998 and board chair from 1999-2001. She played an active role in the development of the NewCentury@Elon strategic plan.
The Dalton L. McMichael Sr. Science Center is named in honor of Gail Drew’s father. Drew and her late husband, Dick Drew, have provided generous financial support to the university. Drew is an active member of the First Baptist Church of Durham and has traveled to several developing countries as a lay missionary. She has volunteered with several community organizations in Durham, including the Girl Scouts, United Fund, Canterbury Club and Hassle House. Her son, William, is a 1996 Elon alumnus.
Garrison made the comfort and privacy of Elon’s presidents and their families her first concern as housekeeper for the university’s official presidential residences for almost 20 years. Her loyalty and caring ways earned her the trust and affection of Presidents J. Fred Young and Leo M. Lambert and their families. She became essential to the smooth operation of the president’s home as she accepted expanded responsibilities, a task she handled with professionalism, integrity and grace under pressure.
Garrison has a son, Lamont, and a daughter, Rosalind Garrison Reaves, a 1991 Elon graduate.
Watts was a member of Elon’s political science faculty from 1972 until his retirement in 1986. He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a colonel in 1970 after 28 years of service.
Colonel Watts, as he was known to his students, began a teaching career at Elon that emphasized student involvement and classroom engagement — characteristics that would become hallmarks of an Elon education. He held various leadership positions on campus, serving as cross country coach and chair of the social sciences department from 1980-1986. He and his wife, Jane Griswold Watts, endowed the Griswold and Watts Scholarship, which is available to students of limited means.
In addition to his professional activities, Watts has also served as president of the Burlington Rotary Club and on the board of the Alamance County Community Services Agency. He and his wife have two children, Lee Watts Wright and F.T. Watts III.
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