Gary Craddock Harrison, Sr., age 71, of Spotsylvania, Virginia, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on February 7, 2026.
Gary began his broadcasting career nearly fifty years ago in his hometown of Emporia, Virginia, where he was born, raised, and educated. Curious by nature and gifted with a natural aptitude for mechanics and electronics, he had an irresistible urge to tinker. As a youngster, anytime he received some mechanical or electronic item he was compelled to disassemble it in an effort to discover the inner workings. This early curiosity led him to develop an interest which was further fostered by his neighbor, Elton Short. “Short” as many knew him, owned the local television repair shop. This was the perfect place for Gary to learn more. At the time Short also performed maintenance and repair duties for the local radio station. Through the mentorship of Short, Gary would tag along and learn a little more along the way. Ultimately, he was hooked. Not only did he have a natural talent, but he had a love for radio and the discovery of broadcast technology that made it all possible.
As a young boy, Gary set his sights on being on the air at the local radio station, WEVA. Before he was allowed behind the microphone, he was required to practice news and weather copy to lose his southern “twang.” Then, at the age of 12, Gary started reading weekend newscasts and working air shifts playing Top 40 Rock at his hometown radio station in Emporia. He had become a disc jockey - a role he loved. He later joked that an FCC visit revealed he was underage, requiring him to briefly “lay low,” with his payroll later listing him as “cutting the grass” until he reached the magic age. In his teenage years he would also work on air at nearby stations in Southside Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina.
Gary’s career steadily evolved from on-air work to broadcast engineering. He gained hands-on experience and later studied Broadcast Engineering at Danville Technical Institute (now Danville Community College). In approximately 1975, he was hired by William “Bill” Poole as Broadcast Engineer at WFLS in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Though still in his early twenties, Gary earned immediate trust through his professionalism and competence that calmed the powers that be who realized that the technical fate of their station was placed in the hands of someone so young. However, Gary earned their trust - a trust he would uphold for decades.
Gary served for more than thirty years as Chief Engineer of Radio and Technical Director for both radio and newspaper operations at the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg. He also served as Operations Manager of Radio properties and Chairman of the Fredericksburg Emergency Alert System (EAS) Operational Area. During his tenure, he negotiated property acquisitions, built studios and transmitter sites, managed tower construction, and oversaw complex technical operations. Known for his dedication, he was just as likely to change a lightbulb as he was to hold an executive role—or reset every clock in the building for daylight saving time.
A Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer (CPBE), Gary later became part-owner and Corporate Secretary of Piedmont Communications, Inc. in Orange, Virginia, overseeing operations and engineering for stations in Orange, Culpeper, and Louisa counties. Under his leadership, the stations were consolidated into new facilities, and WJMA-FM and WOJL-FM became the first commercial non-metro stations in Virginia to broadcast in HD radio.
Gary concluded his career with the Virginia Tech Foundation, supporting public radio stations across Virginia by maintaining transmitter sites, studios, and related facilities.
Throughout his career, Gary was deeply involved in the broadcast engineering community. He was a past Secretary of the Broadcast Engineering Association of Richmond, a founding member and past Vice President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, Chapter 60, and served multiple terms on both the Spotsylvania County Cable Commission and the Community Corrections Board. He was also a trusted contract engineer across Virginia and North Carolina, known for answering late-night emergency calls to keep stations on the air.
In recognition of his exceptional service, leadership, and technical expertise, Gary was awarded the J. J. Freeman Engineering Achievement Award by the Virginia Association of Broadcasters in 2007.
Writing as his son now, I have always recalled fondly being a tagalong at work with my dad. There are many sounds and smells that remind me of him. I recall the sound and the smell of lubricating oil of the teletypes in his office. As a child and young boy, I thought it was exciting to see the latest news coming in over the teletype. To this day I can remember the smell of machine oil, newspaper print, and paper all mixed together as I followed him through the printing press room. He would take me on the roof of the Free Lance-Star for work to be done on a microwave antenna or installation of a new satellite antenna. With this came the now familiar smell of roofing tar mixed with pea gravel. During some of his last days in the hospital we were taking some laps in the wheelchair on the fifth floor. While communication had become more challenging, as we looked out of the window, he was able to identify antennas that he had helped install on Mary Washington Hospital’s roofline several years earlier.
In the past and forever, I cannot look at an antenna tower’s flashing red beacon or many other instruments of his trade without them conjuring fond memories of my dad. Those towers remain quiet monuments to his life’s work.
Gary is survived by his wife, Jann Harrison of Spotsylvania; his sister, Judith H. Wrenn of Midlothian, Virginia; his son, Major Gary C. Harrison, Jr., USMC (Ret.), and wife Elizabeth of Greenville, North Carolina; his daughter, Stephanie H. Cumming, and husband James of Aldie, Virginia; three grandchildren, Gordon Harrison, Sam Harrison, and Emily Cumming; his stepdaughter, Brenda Riska, and husband Guy of Jupiter, Florida; and step-granddaughter Kirsten Adamson.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Gordon Adelbert Harrison and Frances Lee Craddock Harrison.
The family will receive friends at Echols Funeral Home (806 Brunswick Avenue, Emporia, VA) on Saturday, February 14, 2026, from 12:00p.m. to 1:00p.m.
A graveside service will follow the visitation at Emporia Cemetery located on Brunswick Avenue starting at 1:00 p.m.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Main Street United Methodist Church, 105 Church Street, Emporia, Virginia 23847.
To send flowers or plant a tree in memory of Gary Craddock Harrison, Sr., visit the Tribute Store.
Previous Events
Visitation
14
Feb
806 Brunswick Ave.
Emporia, VA 23847
Graveside
14
Feb
Brunswick Avenue
Emporia, VA 23847
