 He graduated from Pulaski County Public Schools in 1933, then went on to two years at Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College, and earned a teaching certificate after a term at Sue Bennett Junior College in nearby London.He taught elementary school in one-room schools between 1936 and 1941.Following his return from World War II, Garrison was married to Reatha Mae Cuthbert (1928–1959) of London, Kentucky, until her death in July 1959.