Carrico honors Marion woman

DAN KEGLEY/Staff

“I feel like a bowl of Jell-o, all jiggling inside.”

On the outside, Evelyn Lawrence was as poised as ever Monday evening, elegant and eloquent in her trademark way for which she is known and loved in the community.

Beside her at the podium in the Marion Town Council meeting room stood Del. Bill Carrico who had just read and presented her a joint resolution adopted last year by both houses of the General Assembly, framed and behind glass.
“Whereas,” Carrico read, “Evelyn Thompson Lawrence of Marion, a respected citizen and educator in Smyth County for many years, is recognized for her outstanding service to her community…”
The resolution’s petitions went on to briefly speak of her birth in Marion, attendance at Carnegie High School in Marion and Gary High School in West Virginia, receipt of a bachelor’s degree in music and English from West Virginia State College and a master’s degree in music from the University of Michigan.
“Whereas” Carrico continued, “an excellent student, Evelyn Lawrence also demonstrated a propensity for writing, composing, and performing throughout her school years, and as she matured, she proved to be a gifted communicator and leader….”
Lawrence returned to the county, coming full circle back to Carnegie High School where she taught until 1965 when she moved to Marion Primary School where she would retire in 1980, the resolution said.
The resolution explored Lawrence’s contributions as “an accomplished musician” who “shared her knowledge and great love of music with her private piano students” and as “a faithful member of Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church in Marion, where she directed the “respected choir director,” served as organist and an active participant and leader in the church’s many missions in the community....”
“Over the years,” the resolution said, “one of Evelyn Lawrence’s most rewarding roles has been her service to the community, providing beautiful music for its residents in happy times, as well as sad, and she is well-known as a composer and producer of children’s operettas and plays….”
The resolution said Lawrence is “committed to improving the quality of life of her neighbors,” giving “her time and immense talents to numerous civic and professional organizations, serving as a board member of the Smyth County Community Hospital, chair of the Cultural Relations Committee of the Smyth County chapter of the American Association of University Women, and a member of the Blue Ridge Job Corps Community Relations Council and the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Delta Kappa sororities….”
Lawrence is “a great supporter of justice for all of her fellow citizens,” the resolution said, “serving as a juror for the United States District Court at Abingdon since 1950….”
Lawrence was chosen the Marion Rotary Club Citizen of the Year in 1985 and served as the parade marshal in the Marion Christmas Parade in 1994, according to the resolution.
The “House of Delegates, the Senate concurring,” resolved that “the General Assembly commend Evelyn Thompson Lawrence for her outstanding service to her community….”
“The warmest of thank-yous can never express the depth of my gratitude,” Lawrence told Carrico, cited on the resolution as its patron.
“It’s been an honor for me to do this,” he said.
Addressing the council, Lawrence said, “Happiness is the key to all success. If you’re happy in what you do, chances are you’ll be successful.”
She said her happiness arises from the good people of the area who have “a general common goal” of betterment of the community.
The legislature knows, as does her community, that Evelyn Lawrence is special among those good people.