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Houston County Loved Lucy Baxley - Articles Written By Tom Sorrells

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 3249

Posted by: RStokes
Date: Oct 17 2016 11:32 AM

By Tom Sorrells about Lucy Baxley


I LOVED LUCY! I found out about the passing of former State Treasurer and Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley when WTVY's Ken Curtis called me for an interview. Lucy was the very first secretarty to the District Attorney in this Circuit then held by Forrest Adams. When Bill Baxley became District Attorney He wisely kept her and when he became Attorney General she became Administrative Assistant for the A.G.'s office Later she became a popular State Treasurer and then Lt. Governor. From the day I went to work in the Courthouse as a Probation and Parole Supervisor, she became my friend. She recommended me to speak at various events. When I passed the bar and became an Asst. Attorney General she was the same person, though she had great responsbilties When I was appointed District Attorney I receive a beautiful flower arrangement from the staff of the Attorney General's office. Attached was a card from Lucy that said The Attorney General's loss is Houston and Henry Counties gain.. After I became


District Attorney, I took my family for a ride on the Amtrack train that then ran from Dothan to Montgomery. Even though Lucy was the Administrative Assistant to the Attorney General, she drove down to Union Station and picked up my family and me, including a seven year old Tommy and a 4 year old Eddie Sorrells and carted us up to the A.G.s office. Years later when her then future husband Jim Smith held a fundraiser for me at his farm in Pansey, she drove by hersefl down to be there for me. It was my honor to be among the small group of people at the wedding of Lucy and Jim, in the State Capital. Every time she called she would say , hey my old friend. When she was State Treasurer, she would leave the door to the hall from her inner office open so anyone who walked by could see her and come in and talk. Before her political career she became one of the top real estate sales persons in Birminham. She was a fine and honest Public Servant. Her campaign stickers said I Love Lucy! and people everywhere loved her because they sensed she loved them. At the end of Ken's interview with me today, he looked at me and said, You loved her didn't you. I replied that I sure did love Lucy! Goodbye my old friend!



Article today written by Tom Sorrells about Lucy Baxley


Before we lay Lucy Baxley to rest I have some final thoughts and one favorite story of mine. I mentioned in my tribute to Lucy that her husband (future husband at the time) Jim Smith held a fundraiser for me when I ran for Alabama Court Of Criminal Appeals at his farm in Pansey. Lucy was State Treasurer at the time. Jim Smith was one of my favorite persons. Lucy drove down from Montgomery. After the fund raiser we went into Jim's house and Lucy and I and others started telling stories about the old days in the courthouse. It was a great time. I had brought my grandson Alex, who was five years old at the time(Alex got married a week or so ago), with me. When everbody started going home Alex and I walked around the property gathering up my campaign signs. We noticed that Lucy's car was sitting right in front of the door to Jim's house with the motor running and she seemed to be saying goodbye to Jim. As time began to pass as Alex and I picked up the signs, we noticed Lucy's car had not moved, the motor still runnibg and she was still talking to Jim. I thought that strange, but I am pretty slow on the uptake. The next Monday I dropped by the Attorney General's office and a mutual friend said, you need to come over to Lucy's house tonight Jim Smith is going to cook spaghetti. I said, why would Jim Smith be there cooking. The friend said you need to go see Lucy. I went over to the Capital and true to form Lucy was in her inner office with the door open so any member of the public could see her. I sat down and noticed a framed picture of Jim Smith on her desk.
She said, as only Lucy could say, what do you think of him. I said I think he is great. She said I think I love him. I said this is huge. I was in a small group that attended their wedding in a reception room at the Capital. I saw what a sweet love story they had. Just after she ran for Governor she had a serious stroke that did great damage, but she would not quit, running and getting elected to the important office of President of the Alabama Public Service Commission. I sat with Lucy and Jim many times at a lunch group we belonged to in Montgomery. Just last month I sat by her son Louis. Jim was always there, with the wheel chair seeing to her every need. It was obvious he adored her.I have alway thought it so neat, that this girl from Pansey was able to have this great relationship at the end of her life, and even though Jim was a highly successful business man with interest in Atlanta and other locations, he was from Pansey, Alabama too.


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