William Lawson Robinson, 1899-1971

William Lawson Robinson, my grandfather's older brother, was a United Methodist minister who served his north Mississippi congregations for over thirty-six years. While attending Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College, he committed to enter the ministry, and in 1923, when the above photograph was taken, Lawson was admitted on trial into the North Mississippi Methodist Conference. This was the same year that Lawson was graduated from Miss. A&M.

Uncle Lawson's first appointment was to Ashland, and that is where he met his future bride, Lucille Hathorn, a teacher at the local school who was from nearby Oxford. Lawson and Lucille were married in 1926, and they had six children and forty-five years together before his death in 1971.

Lawson held his first revival meeting at Tremont in August 1924. It was a homecoming of sorts for Lawson who grew up near Tremont and attended the local schools there. His notes indicate that Rev. L. Betterton was the pastor at the time of the revival with seven members being received into the church and three babies baptized. The babies were the first baptisms performed by Lawson, and they were: Harry Stone, son of Dr. and Mrs. J. H Stone,;and M.D. Jr. and Annie Stone, children of Mr. and Mrs. M. D. (Mautimer DeWitt) Robinson.

During his career, Lawson served as Superintendent of the New Albany District of the North Mississippi Conference, and in 1953 he received a Doctorate of Divinity from Millsaps College. In addition, he served on various boards and commissions and as trustee for both Millsaps and Rust Colleges.