With thanks to Judy Scruggs, I read today the Meridian, Mississippi obit for Dr. Tom Lawrence, who we had lately mentioned on the List re whether he still had for sale books by his late wife, Betty Lawrence, including her book on the Poythress family. His & Betty's kin are spread across the U.S. according to the obit, but only one child was mentioned: their son who is a judge: "Judge Tom Lawrence and his wife, Mickey, of Houston, Texas." So if one is interested in obtaining a copy of Betty's books that Dr. Tom Lawrence published as Mount Barton Publishers in Meridian, the son would be the logical person to try first. His obit appeared in The Meridian Star (www.meridianstar.com) where one can register free to read obits online. He died 16 June 2005 at age 87; he was to be buried yesterday at Magnolic Cemetery in Meridian after his funeral at Stephens Funeral Home Chapel. His obit clarified info I had tried to mention on the List recently. Facts I learned in the obit include that he was "a member of the W.D. Cameron Chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, where he served in many offices including Camp Commander. His most important project was the preservation of the Lauderdale Springs Cemetery which contained the graves of soldiers killed during the War Between the States. His chapter along with his wife's Winnie Davis Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy has worked to identify the names of the soldiers buried there and to purchase headstones to commemorate their service. He spearheaded the creation of a perpetual fund to insure the maintenance of the cemetery forever." I had thought he was an M.D., but I learned he was a Chiropractor & had entered practice with his father; he retired in 1985. For yrs he was "recognized as a national leader" with the American Chiropractic Assoc. He was a WWII vet (U.S. Army). He was also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, thru which he received various medals. He created a critically acclaimed lecture series called "American History and Our Heritage" at the Meridian Community College. Further he set up lecture teams to visit schools to talk about American history. He was quite a writer & speaker himself. He was a founder of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra & the Meridian Jr Chamber of Commerce. He was an Optimist; he served on the city Planning Commission for 38 yrs; he was quite active working on various community projects including Little League & Boy Scouts. His many accomplishments led to him being named an "Unsung Hero" by The Meridian Star newspaper in Feb of this yr.