Excellence in Education
Elected 2023
Harrison graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1966 with a BS degree. After spending eight months as an exchange student in New Zealand, he returned home and received his MA in Education from UConn and began teaching at the SHS Vocational Agriculture Center. He left SHS to be Director at the Rockville Agriscience Center for 13 years before eventually returning to Suffield as the Director and teacher in the Suffield Regional Agriscience Center. He was proud of his agricultural heritage and happy to share this love for science and the trades. He was instrumental in the design and development of the new regional center to include aquaculture, natural resources, plant science, animal science and agricultural mechanics receiving students from 10 towns. The new large animal facility and the ag extension property with a connecting bridge were his dream come true after writing many grants. As an educator, Harrison helped students gain agricultural knowledge while also developing their leadership skills through the FFA organization. He has served as coordinator of the FFA Regional Stars Program for fifty-four years. Harrison is the ninth generation to operate, with his wife Carol, his West Suffield farm which was established in 1647 as a dairy farm and is presently an organic vegetable business. He received his Honorary American FFA Degree in 2007 and a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Agricultural Educators in 2017. Harrison retired after 37 years of teaching.
Read about others in the Class of 2023
