Obit: Arthur Garrison, Jr.

Arthur Garrison, Jr., a long-time member of the National Press Club who contributed his skill as a photographer to covering many Club events, died Dec. 2 in Arlington, Va. He was 96.

A memorial serve will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, at Cherrydale United Methodist Church, 3701 Lorcom Lane, Arlington. He will be buried in his hometown, Columbus, Ohio.

Art joined the Club in 1981 and dropped his membership in 2012 when declining eyesight kept him from participating in Club activities. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, Art maintained his membership in NPC American Legion Post 20. He was working as an information analyst for the American Railroad Association when he met photographer and Club member John Metelsky. "I met him 50 years ago and got him into (freelance) photography and the National Press Club," John said. "He was a great friend and I spoke to him nearly every day."

For many years Art volunteered to work on The Record, the Club's printed predecessor to the Wire. "He was a great proof reader in addition to being a photographer," Metelsky said.

"He was a very good photographer and very easy to work with," said Marshall Cohen, former head of the Club's Photography Committee and a Record volunteer. "We often worked for hours on weekends" processing film in the Club's darkroom. "Art never did convert to digital photography."

Art's friends said he never said anything negative about anyone and cited his always-pleasant personality.