L.E. “Chief” Lawson of Lucas, Baptist evangelist and denominational leader, died Sept. 16. He was 90. Lawson was born March 12, 1930, to Eual and Audra Lawson. He graduated from Hardin-Simmons University and earned his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Lawson was a high school football coach and a pastor in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado before becoming evangelism director for the Baptist Convention of Indiana. He went on to serve 21 year as director of evangelism with the Baptist Convention of New Mexico. He represented the Southern Baptist Convention’s Home Mission Board in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and at the Baptist World Alliance in Japan. He directed crusades in the Philippines in 1980 and in England in 1983. Lawson served as president of the State Directors of Evangelism for the SBC in 1984. He was involved nationally with the Bill Glass Prison Ministry. He received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award at Hardin-Simmons in 1980 and the Distinguished Leadership Award in 1988 from the International Directory of Distinguished Leadership. He was preceded in death by brothers Eual Lawson Jr. and Bill Lawson. He is survived by wife; Sue; son Mark Lawson; son Monty Lawson and wife Dianna; and three grandchildren.
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