Nora Lawrence Smith (December 25, 1885 - July 17, 1971) was a newspaper publisher and activist in Ashburn, Georgia. She has been called a "pioneer among women publishers" and "one of the best known and most respected weekly editors in the state." In 1974 she became the first woman inducted into the Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame. Early life Nora Lawrence was born on Christmas Day 1885 to Joe Lawrence and Margaret (Hall) Lawrence in Dempsey in Dodge County, Georgia. Her father was an Irish immigrant who moved from New York to Georgia, and founded the Wiregrass Farmer newspaper in 1899. Nora learned to set type by hand at age 13 in her father's shop. She was educated in the public schools in Ashburn, and graduated from Houghton College in New York. Career After a brief marriage ended in divorce, Smith returned to Ashburn to work at the newspaper in 1905. She worked there alongside her father for many years. After Joe Lawrence died in 1939, she became the editor-publisher of the Wiregrass Farmer with a business partner. Smith was dedicated to the farmers who read her paper. The boll weevil had devastated cotton farmers in the early 20th century, including many in Turner County (which surrounds Ashburn). A coalition created an alternative for farmers that became known as the "Turner county plan" or the "Cow, Hog and Hen program". The plan featured elements of crop diversification and livestock farming. Smith and her father were determined advocates of the plan through their newspaper. Over a third of the farmers in Turner County adopted the plan its first year in 1920, and it was a huge success. The Georgia Press Association gave her the William G. Sutlive trophy in 1924 for her work on this issue. At the presentation she was praised for working "so energetically and ably for the success of diversified agriculture". Smith was also an advocate for road improvements and highway beautification for 50 years. 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. She was given another award by the Georgia Press Association that same year for this effort. When Interstate 75 was being built in Georgia, Smith lobbied for the section through Ashburn to be among the first completed. When that segment was dedicated in 1959 by