Heritage, Volume 12, Number 4, Fall 1994 Page: 17
30 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Frances Lee Caldwell,
that I learned she and
my friend from Tyler
share the same name.
Although she doesn't
realize it yet, I wholeheartedly
believe this bit
of serendipity bodes well
for my granddaughter's
life.
One could not find a
more articulate, erudite,
prepared, and effective
spokesman than Lee
whether in the courtroom
or in a public forum,
but when it comes
to talking about his per- 4
sonal accomplishments =
and achievements, Lee
Lawrence is truly a
modest man. He was born in Paris, Texas,
and has lived his entire life in East Texas,
with the exceptions of two years in the
Navy during World War II and his time
away at college. Lee has spent most of his
years, however, in Tyler, where he has
practiced law since 1950.
Lee went to Tyler Junior College until
he was old enough to join the Navy and was
only able to accomplish this by memorizing
the eye examination chart. After the war,
he enrolled at Texas Christian University
where he earned a degree in history and was
selected for Phi Beta Kappa. He received
his law degree from Southern Methodist
University.
As a young man, Lee loved Texas history.
This interest is due in some measure to
his maternal grandfather Fred H. Oberthier,
who lived to be 100 years old and had an
"incredible memory for accuracy and detail".
Oberthier served as Lee's link to the
last century, and they carried on lengthy
correspondence as grandson made out lists
of questions and grandfather filled in the
answers. This way, the grandson learned
valuable history concerning his great- great
grandfather and grandmother, James and
Susannah Cunningham, who came to Texas
in 1839-40, first living in Morris County
before finally settling in what is now
Comanche County in 1855. It was then a
wilderness fraught by Comanche raids.
As a young lawyer in Tyler, Lee Lawrence
married Ann Lewis in 1954, and they are
the parents of three daughters - Frances,
Amy, and Elizabeth -and have two
grandchildren, Claire and Lee Lawrence
Cannan.Lawrence travelled the
state promoting the historical
marker program.
He is pictured left presenting
the marker at the
Gingerbread House in
Chireno in 1962.Lee became interested in politics, and
when Price Daniel was elected governor in
1959, he appointed Lee to the Texas State
Historical Survey Committee, all the while
admonishing him that "It is only filled with
old people, Lee." At the tender age of 33, F.
Lee Lawrence joined the likes of Ima Hogg,
Judge James Wheat, and Rupert Richardson
during the formative years of the state
agency that grew into the Texas Historical
Commission. Soon after, John Ben
Shepperd was also appointed, and John
Ben, Dr. Richardson, and Lee teamed up to
begin the historical marker program for
Texas. There are now 11,000 such historical
markers.
As author of numerous articles in historical
quarterlies and publications, Lee
began a manuscript with Dr. Robert W.
Glover on Camp Ford, the largest Confederate
prisoner of war camp located west of
the Mississippi River. AlthoughJohn Ben's
energy and enthusiasm for a project often
When Price Daniel was
electedigovernor in 1959, he
appointed Lee Lawrence to
the TeXas State Hfistoricaf
Survey Committee, all the
while admonishing him that
"It is onlyfifflled with old
people, Lee."excelled others ability
to produce, he
called Lee on a Friday
afternoon requesting
that he write
Camp Ford. Working
with Dr. Glover into
the night and relying
heavily on their
Camp Ford manuscript research, the two
men were able to complete an inscription
over the weekend and send it to the
Southwell Foundry in time to meet John
Ben's Monday deadline. On January 14,
1968, despite a freezing rain that failed to
discourage any of the ceremony participants,
including a bus full of Texas legislators,
Camp Ford CSA was dedicated as
the first official Texas historical marker,
though they were then called travel information
markers.
Lee was active during his four-year
tenure and served as secretary-treasurer
when few funds were available for the
committee's work. He also continued
working with John Ben and Dr.
Richardson on markers. To commemorate
Texas Independence Day in 1962,
and followup the Camp Ford ceremony,
John Ben and members of the Survey
Committee including Lee took a threeday
bus swing across the state dedicating
14 historical sites with medallions. John
Ben, Lee, and Rupert Richardson would
take turns at each stop giving the invocation,
history, and dedication. Newspaperwoman
Cissy Stewart from the Fort Worth
Star Telegram, also along on the trip, reported
huge crowds turned out at every
site. Lee recalls Dr. Richardson began
with "It's altogether fitting and proper...",
always sounding like Solomon and impressing
everyone with his ability to command
the attention of a crowd. Before the
tour ended, however, John Ben started
referring to Lee as Dr. Lawrence.
During this same period, Lee began organizing
historical societies in San AugusHERITAGE * FALL 1994 17
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 12, Number 4, Fall 1994, periodical, Autumn 1994; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45414/m1/17/?rotate=90: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.