Atlanta native Father James Harrison III was born in 1929 and attended public elementary schools in Decatur. He entered Marist College in 1942, following in the footsteps of his father and uncles. His uncle John was in Marist’s first graduating class. While at Marist, Father Harrison received the D.A.R. Medal of Honor and was a gifted athlete, participating in baseball, basketball, football, and swimming. He graduated second in his class in 1946.

 

After graduating from Marist, the young James Harrison opted to enter the seminary at St.Charles Borromeo College, Maryland, where he graduated magna cum laude. He then studied at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, during which time the late Archbishop John Donoghue was a classmate. As a Basselin Scholar at Catholic University, Father Harrison earned an M.A. in philosophy.

 

He continued his priestly formation at the North American College in Rome and received the S.T.B. degree in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1955, in Rome, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta. Soon thereafter he earned a Master’s in Education at the University of Georgia.

 

In 1958 Father Harrison was selected to be the founding principal of St. Pius X High School in Atlanta, the first Catholic coeducational high school in Georgia, a position he retained until 1964, when Father Jack Cotter, another Marist graduate, succeeded him. Father Harrison then served as pastor of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Gainesville.

 

In the 1970’s, Father Harrison took a leave of absence from the active priesthood to care for his ailing mother. During this time he was a teacher and administrator at Sprayberry High School and then at Oakwood Alternative High School in Smyrna; he also earned an Ed.S. degree at Georgia State University.

 

On resuming his work as a priest, Father Harrison was Parochial Vicar at the Cathedral of Christ the King and then, for eight years, Pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Kennesaw, where he established a thriving Catholic elementary school. Since 2005, he has been Pastor of St. Marguerite d’Youville Church in Lawrenceville.

 

Father Harrison’s contributions to the educational and pastoral life of the Archdiocese of Atlanta are many and noteworthy. Marist School is pleased to recognize the scope of his influence and the enduring character of his priestly service. As Distinguished Alumnus for 2012, he joins his brother, Charles Harrison, Class of 1948, who was named Distinguished Alumnus in 2001.

Patrick J. Crawford was born in 1959 in Davenport, Iowa to James and Mary Jane Crawford. Patrick has four brothers, two of whom are Marist graduates, and two sisters.

Patrick then attended and graduated from Marist School in 1977.

He attended Georgia Tech for two years (1977-1979) and graduated from Georgia State University in 1982 (BBA.)

Patrick became the Marist Alumni Director in 1979 and held the role until 1983. He then became the Director of Development at Marist School and held that position until 1985.

From 1985-1995, Patrick was a sales representative for Storz Instrument Company.

From 1995-1997, he was a Regional Sales Manager for Tomey Corporation.

Patrick was a co-owner of ICT Printers, Inc. from 1997 to 2008.

Currently, Patrick is a Surgical Equipment Specialist for Bausch & Lomb, where he started working in 2008.

Patrick is married to Mary Celine Hearn Crawford (30 years in July 2012) and they have four children who are all Marist graduates: Christine ’03, Patrick ’05, Andrew ’08, and Michael ’10.

The Crawford’s are members of All Saints Catholic Church.

 

Mike Moroski was born and raised in Atlanta, GA where he attended Marist High School and graduated with the class of 1997.

 He then moved to Cincinnati where he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in English at Xavier University.  He also earned his teaching license from the State of Ohio in that time. 

 

Mike taught English at Moeller High School for ten years and served as a House Dean for six.

 

Mike currently serves Purcell Marian as their Dean of Student Life/Assistant Principal.  Additionally, Mike has served as an affordable housing advocate and project leader for eleven years in Over-the-Rhine, the nation’s largest historic district and the region’s poorest.

 

Four years ago, Mike co-founded Choices Cafe with Mike Rogers, a formerly homeless man who is currently the Vice President of the second largest shelter in Ohio, the Drop Inn Center.  Choices Cafe seeks to promote relationships between the rich and poor in the name of an equitable, peaceful Cincinnati. 

 

Mike is currently studying at the University of Notre Dame and is pursuing his Masters in non-profit Business Administration. 

 

Most recently, Mike was asked to help start up and serve on the board of a new non-profit in Cincinnati, Word Play, whose Mission is to serve underprivileged youth who struggle in the Language Arts.  Additionally, Mike is a Trustee on the Drop Inn Center's Board of Directors and has received the Nobel Prize for Public Service, the Jefferson Award, Xavier University’s highest honor for a young graduate, the Magis Award, for his service to the City of Cincinnati and was selected as one of the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty under 40 Class of 2011.