Searcy Slaton Garrison was born on November 28, 1912, in Coolidge, Georgia to J. Gorsham and Vessie Smith Garrison. He was educated in the public schools of Thomas County, baptized in 1921, and ordained into the gospel ministry in 1933. He married Antoinette Jackson of McDonough on June 8, 1937, and the couple went on to have three children. Garrison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mercer University in 1934, and his alma mater later awarded him an honorary D.D. degree in 1947. Garrison was also a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1936-1937) and Emory University (1939-1940). He was a pastor from 1933 to 1954 at several churches, including Norman Park First Baptist Church, Barnesville First Baptist Church, and Bull Street Baptist Church. He served as a Trustee of Mercer University (1940-1946), President of Georgia Baptist Convention (1952-1954), and numerous other positions during his time as a pastor. Garrison also served as the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention from 1955-1980. He retired in 1980 and lived in Atlanta. Searcy Slaton Garrison died on January 21, 2018.