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North Carolina Society of Historians
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Joe Mack McLaurin |
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Joe M. McLaurin was born in
1926, and died on 24 August 2003 with his family at his bedside.
At the time of his death, Joe was the county's local historian;
although, for a long time he was considered to be Richmond County's
LEADING historian.
He was the founder of the Society of History, Research and Preservation, Inc., an organization that incorporates the Richmond County Historical Collection, the Society of Richmond County Descendants, and the Society of Loyalist Descendants. This collection, consisting of a huge collection of historical photographs, files, books, local records, etc. has been willed to the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh, NC. Joe was a former president of the Richmond County Historical Society and the Rockingham Historic Preservation Board; was a former board member of the Richmond Savings Bank and First National Bank; chairman of the McLaurin Vocational Training Center Board of Directors; chairman of the Rockingham Bicentennial Planning Committee; and, he was the president of our society for several years and also editor of our newsletter, and in 1982 he was chosen as our Historian of the Year. Joe made history fun! The JOE M. McLAURIN NEWSLETTER AWARD is so named in memory of this great man. |