For 60 years, Phil Harison greeted the world's greatest golfers as the starter at the first tee of the Masters Tournament.

Phil Harison served as the first-tee starter at the Masters Tournament for 60 years. (File/Staff)

Mr. Harison, who died Sunday of lung cancer at the age of 82, could retell countless golf stories -- from watching David Ogilvie strolling the fairway during the first Masters in 1934, when he was 8 years old, to playing rounds with golf's elite, son Campbell Harison said.

For instance, in the mid-1980s his father played a round with six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus. After the golfing legend hit his tee shot close to the pin on the par-3 No. 12, he turned to Mr. Harison and, with a smile, said he would love to see him make a hole-in-one. Mr. Harison responded by doing just that. He also had a hole-in-one while playing with President Eisenhower.

The stories are part of his family's roots in Augusta golf history. According to Eileen Stulb's A Chronicle of Augusta, Georgia's Golf Beginnings and an Informal History of The Augusta Country Club, Inc. , four men introduced golf to Augusta in 1895.

One of the men was Dr. William Harison, Phil Harison's grandfather. In 1897, he became a shareholder in Hotel Bon Air and its nine-hole golf course. This course would become the Augusta Country Club.

Campbell Harison said his father, who was raised in the family's home behind the first green at Augusta National, would ride his motorcycle around the grounds and fish out of the ponds. He had attended every Masters since its inception, he said.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Phil Harison," said Billy Payne, the chairman of the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club. "Phil was a cherished member who made significant contributions to the Masters. As the starter on the first tee, he was the face of the Masters to many patrons. He did a wonderful job in that role."

But what makes Phil Harison's children proudest won't be found in his accomplishments in golf. To them it will be his long list of contributions to the community.

Campbell Harison recalled that his father always put others first, living a life of giving.

"I could never begin to be half the man he was," his son said. "To me, he was always my idol."

In 1988, Campbell Harison was in an auto accident that left him a quadriplegic. In the ensuing years, his father led a capital campaign to provide affordable accessible living for the physically disabled. The campaign raised $1,375,000 to establish Harison Heights at Walton Rehabilitation Health System.

And as chairman of Walton Rehabilitation Foundation, he spearheaded efforts that raised more than $3 million, said Dennis Skelley, president and CEO of the health system. He described Mr. Harison as a father figure who stressed kindness, honesty and integrity.

"To him, family went well beyond his immediate family and really was tied to the community," he said. "He very much loved Augusta."

A graduate of the Academy of Richmond County, Mr. Harison was active in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where he served as treasurer for 12 years. He was also a vestry man and senior warden.

Phil Harison Jr. called his father a true Southern gentleman, adding that he always stressed giving back to the community.

In 1966, he was elected to the Richmond County Hospital Authority, where he served as treasurer, vice chairman and chairman.

In the 1970s, Mr. Harison, who earned his living in the insurance business, worked to turn around University Hospital as co-administrator with Harry Jernigan, Phil Harison Jr. said.

He also served on the boards of Episcopal Day School, the American Cancer Society, Historic Augusta, the Tax Assessors Board of Equalization, the Augusta Radiation Center, the Augusta Area Mental Health Association, the Augusta Speech and Hearing Center, the Augusta Historical Society, the First Tee and University Health Care Foundation.

Phil Harison Jr. said his father's dedication to Augusta can be traced back to his grandfather, Dr. Harison, a physician who tended to the poor for free.

Staff writer Chris Gay contributed to this article.