Robert Garrison is the fifth of six children in an Air Force family. His father was a Senior Master Sergeant in the Air Force. He was born in 1967 at Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, California, and his family was stationed here in 1970. His father retired here in 1977.

Mr. Garrison attended Will Rogers Elementary, Northeast Junior High, and he graduated from Altus High School in 1985. He then attended Oklahoma State University and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Social Studies in 1989.

Mr. Garrison has been with the Altus Public School system for 29 years. After being the Honors American History Teacher at Altus Junior High for 18 years, he has now moved to take the AP U.S. History program at the High School. In the 2004-05 school year, he was honored as the Altus Public Schools District Teacher of the Year.

Mr. Garrison's family is all-important to him. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Rhonda, for 30 years. His three children have been highly active in Altus. His oldest son Nick (27) will be in his 6th year of teaching and is currently coaching at Moore; his middle son, Chase (25), recently graduated from OU Medical with a doctorate degree in Physical Therapy and currently is in Covington, Georgia at his first PT job; and Bethany, age 19, will be a sophomore at UCO where she is currently a member of the Leaders of Tomorrow program. She was also the 2019 Miss Altus Outstanding Teen and a 2019 State Champion in Track.

Mr. Garrison was the VFW Teacher of the Year Runner-Up. As a representative of Altus Schools, he has had the opportunity to go on a refueling flight over Nebraska during Farm/City Week.

Mr. Garrison has coached Football, Women’s Basketball, Baseball, Women’s Volleyball and Women’s and Men’s Track and Field. He has served on the State Track Coaches Association Advisory Board and was selected the Oklahoma Coaches Association Region 4 Track Coach of the Year in 2017. The Women’s Track and Field teams were State Runner-up in 2005 and 2008 and State Champions in 2011. He has also coached 4 Individual 300 Hurdle State Champions and 1 100 Hurdle State Champion.

Mr. Garrison was on the committee that wrote the current Altus City Charter and was elected to the Altus City Council in 2019. During the first meeting, he was appointed as the Vice Mayor.