Nora Lawrence Smith

Nora Lawrence Smith (December 25, 1885 - July 17, 1971)[1] was a newspaper publisher and activist in Ashburn, Georgia. She has been called a "pioneer among women publishers"[1] and "one of the best known and most respected weekly editors in the state."[3] In 1974 she became the first woman inducted into the Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Nora Lawrence Smith
Smith in 1931
Born
Nora Lawrence

(1885-12-25)December 25, 1885
Dempsey, Dodge County, Georgia
DiedJuly 17, 1971(1971-07-17) (aged 85)
Ashburn, Georgia
Other names"Miss Nora"[1][2]
OccupationNewspaper publisher
Years active1905 - 1969
EmployerWiregrass Farmer
Known forNewspaper publishing in Georgia for over 50 years
Political partyDemocratic[1]

Early life

Nora Lawrence was born on Christmas Day 1885 to Joe Lawrence and Margaret (Hall) Lawrence in Dempsey in Dodge County, Georgia.[4] Her father was an Irish immigrant who moved from New York to Georgia, and founded the Wiregrass Farmer newspaper in 1899.[1] Nora learned to set type by hand at age 13[3] in her father's shop.[1] She was educated in the public schools in Ashburn,[4] and graduated from Houghton College in New York.[5]

Career

After a brief marriage ended in divorce, Smith returned to Ashburn[1] to work at the newspaper in 1905.[6] She worked there alongside her father for many years.[1] After Joe Lawrence died in 1939, she became the editor-publisher of the Wiregrass Farmer with a business partner.[1]

Smith was dedicated to the farmers who read her paper. The boll weevil had devastated cotton farmers in the early 20th century,[7] including many in Turner County (which surrounds Ashburn). A coalition created an alternative for farmers that became known as the "Turner county plan"[8] or the "Cow, Hog and Hen program".[9][8] The plan featured elements of crop diversification[7] and livestock farming.[8] Smith and her father[9] were determined advocates of the plan through their newspaper.[1] Over a third of the farmers in Turner County adopted the plan its first year in 1920, and it was a huge success.[8] The Georgia Press Association gave her the William G. Sutlive trophy in 1924 for her work on this issue.[4][10] At the presentation she was praised for working "so energetically and ably for the success of diversified agriculture".[11]

A giant peanut surrounded by a yellow crown on which is written "Georgia First In Peanuts"
A brick pedestal with a stone plaque which reads: “This monument to the peanut, Turner County's most important agricultural product, is dedicated to the memory of Nora Lawrence Smith, December 25, 1886 - July 17, 1971. Member, Georgia Journalism's Hall of Fame, Editor and Co-Publisher of the Wiregrass Farmer, Turner County's Award Winning Newspaper and an untiring supporter of Turner County and its agricultural economy."
The giant peanut adjacent to I-75 in Ashburn was dedicated to Smith via a plaque

Smith was also an advocate for road improvements and highway beautification for 50 years.[12] She lobbied for the paving of U.S. 41 (which passes through Ashburn) and in 1929 she participated in the dedication of the highway by Senator Walter F. George.[13] She was given another award by the Georgia Press Association that same year for this effort.[1] When Interstate 75 was being built in Georgia, Smith lobbied for the section through Ashburn to be among the first completed.[14] When that segment was dedicated in 1959 by Governor Ernest Vandiver, Smith served as the master of ceremonies. She said, "I love good roads and I'm glad to fight for them. Good roads are helpful things...they make the nation just a neighborhood."[12]

Smith was an "eloquent, if arrogant" editorialist[1] and she "never tired of her civic duty and responsibility."[2] She supported women's rights.[1]

Smith was an active clubwoman.[4] She was quite involved in Democratic politics and was an early supporter of FDR for president.[14] She was a "vocal, influential delegate" to the Democratic National Convention in the years 1924, 1928, 1932,[1] and 1936.[14] The 1924 convention was first to receive women delegates from Georgia.[7]

Personal life

Smith kept a very regular schedule, rising each day at 6:30am to make phone calls, lunch at noon with friends, leaving the office at 5:20pm to make more phone calls and retiring each day at 9:50pm.[1] Smith suffered from arthritis and made annual visits to Hot Springs, Arkansas in search of relief.[1] She was also a regular guest at Atlanta's Henry Grady Hotel during Christmas.[1][14]

Honors and awards

Smith received many awards during her lifetime. Several civic organizations of Ashburn and Turner County declared "Nora Lawrence Smith Day" in April 1952.[2]

The National Newspaper Association gave her the Emma C. McKinney Memorial Award in 1968[15] for "outstanding contributions to her community and her profession."[16] She was third recipient of the award[5] and the first woman from Georgia to win it.[15] Governor Lester Maddox declared June 6, 1968 to be "Nora Lawrence Smith Day" statewide in recognition of her winning the McKinney award.[16]

She was a member of the Georgia Press Association's "Golden Club", signifying people who have worked at newspapers for more than 50 years.[5] She never missed a GPA convention in over 30 years.[14] When the GPA obtained a new office building in 1969, Smith donated $10,000 to the building fund and the group named the "Nora Lawrence Smith Conference Room" in her honor.[1]

Death and legacy

Smith sold the newspaper in 1969 and retired.[3] She died at age 85 in July 1971 following a stroke.[5]

In 1974 Smith was inducted into the Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame,[17] which had also inducted her father Joe Lawrence in 1947.[9]

In 1975 a 20 foot tall peanut sculpture on a pedestal was erected in Ashburn, and dedicated to Smith for her promotion of agriculture in the town.[18] It was adjacent to the same segment of Interstate 75 that Smith helped open in 1959.

References
  1. Grimes, Millard B.; Cox, Calvin (1985). The Last Linotype: The Story of Georgia and Its Newspapers Since World War II. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. pp. 514–515, 563. ISBN 9780865541900. OCLC 13100149. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. "Turner County Has Its Honors Day". The Atlanta Constitution. April 28, 1952. p. 4. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  3. "Editor Emeritus". Atlanta Constitution. September 27, 1969. p. 4A. Retrieved July 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  4. Blair, Ruth. Georgia Women of 1926. Georgia Dept. of Archives and History. p. 22. OCLC 3831135. Retrieved July 6, 2020 – via HathiTrust.
  5. "Mrs. Nora Smith Services Tuesday". Atlanta Constitution. July 19, 1971. p. 22B. Retrieved July 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. Howard, Annie H.; Ramage, Mary M.; Colvin, Ada V. (1931). Business and Professional Women of Georgia. Atlanta: F.E. Johnson Pub. Co. pp. 102–103. OCLC 2830950. Retrieved July 8, 2020 – via HathiTrust. (Includes a photo of Smith)
  7. Coster, Esther A. (June 15, 1924). "5 Southern Women to Have Voice in Convention; One Shares Honor With Husband". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 20A. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com. (Includes a small photo).
  8. Reed, J.H. (August 1923). "Giving New Hope to Millions of Farmers". Farming, The Business Magazine. Vol. XXI, no. 5. Dalton, Ga and Knoxville Tenn. pp. 133–134. OCLC 1357717. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Google Books.
  9. Howell Jr., Clark (February 21, 1947). "Editors Told Democracy Thrives On Free Press". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 16. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  10. "State Editors To Be Guests Tonight at Banquet Given By Chamber of Commerce". Atlanta Constitution. September 24, 1925. p. 7. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com. The trophy is given by W. G. Sutlive of The Savannah Press, and is awarded annually to the Georgia editor who, in the opinion of the committee, has done his community the greatest service....The trophy was awarded in 1924 to Mrs. Nora Lawrence Smith, of the Ashburn, Ga. Wiregrass Farmer, who promoted the "Cow, hog and hen" program for the Georgia farmer.
  11. "The Cow, The Hog And The Hen Program Is Praised At Ashburn Exercises". The Butler Herald. Butler, Georgia. October 30, 1924. p. 1,6. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Georgia Historic Newspapers. (Includes a photo of Smith).
  12. Bosworth, Warren (October 10, 1929). "37-Mile Interstate Road Stretch Dedicated by Vandiver at Ashburn". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com. (Includes a photo of Smith at the ceremony).
  13. "Big Program Is Planned For Opening Wednesday Of New National Highway". The Atlanta Constitution. August 18, 1929. p. 10. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  14. Patterson, Eugene (December 22, 1967). "Miss Smith Comes to Town". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 4. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  15. "Amos and McKinney Awards". National Newspaper Association. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020. Recognized as two of the highest and most distinguished tributes in community journalism, the Amos and McKinney Awards are presented to a working or retired newspaperman and woman who has provided distinguished service and leadership to the community press and his/her community.
  16. "Governor's Proclamation Hails Publisher Nora Smith". The Atlanta Constitution. June 5, 1968. p. 5. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  17. "Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame 2019 Nomination Form" (PDF). Georgia Press Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  18. Johnson, Jeremy (October 30, 2017). "Ants, peanuts are Ashburn's claim to fame". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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