Born in Ozark, Alabama on Oct 15, 1944. On a cold and rainy October night in a small wooden country home on Highway 123, Lewis entered the world and his adventures began. Within less than 2 days he was placed in an orphanage in Montgomery and several months later, was selected by the Harrison's of Edgewood community located in Homewood as their one and only child. His father worked with Rail Joint Reforming near Findley Ave. in North Birmingham. His mother worked as Secretary to the President of Alabama Power.
He recalls his first experience with fire was in the summer before third grade when Edgewood Grammar School burned. After that event he visited the Homewood Fire Department with his parents because he did not understand the power of fire.
The Harrison family moved to Southwood Road in Vestavia Hills when Lewis was eleven. At age 13, Lewis began school at Lyman Ward Military Academy in Camp Hill, AL because of sickness at home. The following summer, at night and on weekends, he helped Birmingham Dental students answer the phones at Vestavia Hills City Hall.
At age 15, he became further involved with the Vestavia Hills Fire Department which helped lead to the organization of the Junior Volunteer Fire Department. The original Junior Volunteers were Henry Battle, Rick Sassnett, Mike Brindle, and Lewis Harrison. There were many others that came and went. Within the period of one year he lost first his father to an alcohol related illnesses and then his mother to cancer. With the help of family, friends, and the Fire & Police Chiefs he was able to remain independent and drive at the age of 15 and continued his relationship with the City of Vestavia Hills and the Fire Department. As a student at Lyman Ward, Lewis would come home to Vestavia Hills on weekends, holidays and summers and work as a volunteer at the Fire Department. His family home was just a few blocks behind Station One.
In 1963, Lewis graduated from Lyman Ward Military Academy and received the "Ideal Cadet Award" and The Lions Club's "Citizenship Award". The following fall he enrolled at Montevallo University (then Alabama Collage). It was here that he worked with the campus fire department as a firefighter and worked with other students to significantly reduce the cost of the fire insurance for the college. Lewis' college plans were abruptly terminated when President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
With years of training in a military environment and a lot of encouragement from John Wallace, he immediately joined the US Marine Corp to become an active part of America's military defense system. After boot camp on Paris Island, SC, he was stationed in Rota Spain for 2 years where he guarded nuclear weapons and later became Main Gate Corporal of the Guard. He was also stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC as a Sergeant in charge of a Correctional Custody Facility. His tour terminated with a tour in Viet Nam where he patrolled the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and the southern border of North Vietnam. He was one of only two men who survived an 82 mm mortar attack of six rounds, which hit all 15 men on the hill that day. For this he received his first Purple Heart. For a short time Lewis' name appeared on the MIA list and he was later told that John Wallace took a lot of pressure. Later he was wounded again by an artillery shell, which ended his tour of duty. Again he received a Purple Heart.
Lewis separated from the United States Marine Corp and lived near Potomac Naval Air Station in Maryland. He rejoined his first wife (Betty) and their new child (David) who was born while he was in Vietnam. He worked for the Potomac River Power Company near Washington DC. This was a hard time for Lewis. Postwar adjustment was hard on everyone around Lewis.
Returning to Alabama in 1969 Lewis then took the Federal Firefighter's test and the Jefferson County Civil Service Firefighter's exam qualifying well enough to be hired by Vestavia Hills as a Firefighter in May. He completed Birmingham Rookie School in September of 1969.
Lewis was on B shift, "station one" which was the first on the scene at the wreck which killed three Vestavia Hill coaches in September of 1971 This tragedy was the defining event that started the filing for DOT grants which would ultimately be the beginning of the paramedic program for the state of Alabama. Eight firefighters from Vestavia, eight from Homewood, and sixteen from the city of Birmingham would be the graduates of Alabama's first paramedic class. Classes were held five days a week with rotations held at night and on weekends. The official Graduation was September 30, 1973 only two years after the Coaches were killed. Just for the record the name of the DOT grant was "Emergency Medical Services Demonstration Project Region III". It had only been tried on the West Coast before this time.
Vestavia Hills received the first rescue unit and had the first paramedical rescue unit in service in the entire state. During this period, Vestavia Hills was also contracted to serve the City Hoover as well for their paramedical services. Homewood and Birmingham put their units in service the following day. In the beginning of the paramedic program in the state of Alabama, there would only be six paramedics on duty at any given time, but the significance of the first class was that they were all firefighters and eager to serve there cities.
The fire department was a very close group of men and their families working together in uncharted territory. Lewis considers himself very fortunate to had Sam Hansen as a partner and together they set a record for being partners for 13 years. During this period Lewis would also be a leader in bringing an ambulance service to the city. Working nights and days in his "off-duty" hours he worked to provide the best rescue and transport services available.
In May of 1969 Lewis received the honor of being named Emergency Medical Technician of the year in Alabama. The School of Community and Allied Health Resources picked Lewis for the honor at an honors convocation at the University of Alabama in Birmingham after being nominated by the Vestavia Hills City Council.
Previously Lewis had been named Vestavia and Jefferson County's top paramedic.
Lewis would serve on the rescue unit until two years prior to his retirement in June of 1991. With 22 years as a paid member of the Vestavia Hill Fire Department. This does not count the five years as a Vestavia Hills Volunteer Firefighter and ten years served with another department.
He now lives in Crane Hill, AL on Smith Lake where he and his artist wife (Donna) have a small art gallery and work together in an art business they established more than 15 years ago. He is grandfather to Dixie, age 6 and Dixon age 8. His hobbies include working on the couple's small farm and boating to visit lighthouses around the US. The couple recently spent more than eight weeks studying and painting scenes from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which they presented at a premiere party at The Gautier Mansion near Pascagoula on July 14, 2002. Songwriter and singer, Les Kerr from Nashville was their guest performer at this event. After the show, the couple was the guest of the City of Pascagoula on a tour of the Mississippi coastal islands via the police launch. After a short trip to Natchez to do sketches for their 2002 Christmas card which wife, Donna Peters creates annually for their collectors, the couple returned home to get ready for their fall show season and to work on a cookbook they will publish in 2003. Lewis and Donna will have a large exhibit in the 2002 Christmas Village to be held in November at the BJCC.
A web site featuring Donna's art and stories of some of their most recent trips and projects can be seen at www.donnapeters.com If you would like to write Lewis, he would enjoy hearing from you at
E-mail = magnolia@cneti.com
Deep South Studio
PO Box 10
Crane Hill, AL. 35053-0010
Studio (256) 747-4141
FAX --(256) 747-4132
URL: http://www.donnapeters.com
Read LHarrison.html for Information on Lewis and Donna.
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