Martha "Page" Lawson - Submitted by Richard P. Sevier 

USGenWeb NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb remain the property of the 
contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and 
Regulations.

In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents 
may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial 
entities, when written permission is obtained from the contributor, so long as all notices 
and submitter information are included.

These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit.

Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the 
contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites.

************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
************************************************

Martha "Page" Lawson - Madison Parish, Louisiana 

From Houston Chronicle June 26, 2002

Martha "Page" Lawson, founder of the Children's Art Project at the University of Texas 
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, died of lung cancer Monday at the hospital. She was 71. 

The self-sustaining project, which originated as a holiday greeting card promotion, has 
netted more than $15 million for services for pediatric patients. 

The idea for the program was born 29 years ago when a volunteer at M.D. Anderson admired 
a young patient's drawing and said: "That's pretty enough to be a Christmas card." 

Lawson, as director of the cancer center's department of volunteer services, acted on 
the compliment, conceiving the program, which features young patients' designs on holiday 
cards sold to the public. 

Since then, the project has expanded, offering a wide array of products, including 
notepaper, silver ornaments, scarves and ties, each designed by a child at the hospital. 

The products are now marketed at more than 1,700 locations, primarily in Texas, Louisiana 
and Florida. 

The proceeds benefit pediatric programs at the hospital, including educational, emotional 
and recreational services for M.D. Anderson patients. 

This summer, for example, 200 young patients will attend summer camp, with expenses paid 
by the project. In the fall, 77 patients or former patients will enroll at colleges with 
help from the project's scholarship funds. 

Angela Cheves, production and marketing manager of the Children's Art Project, called Lawson 
a visionary. "She certainly envisioned all that the Children's Art Project could be. 
Whatever she had in mind would grow," Cheves said. 

During Lawson's years as head of volunteer services, the number of volunteers grew from 
125 to about 1,000. In 1986, Lawson received the Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer 
Service. 

A native of Louisiana, Lawson graduated from Louisiana State University in 1951. She joined 
M.D. Anderson in 1973, and retired in 1991. 

She leaves her husband, Billy E. "Rod" Lawson of Houston, and two daughters, Connie Lawson 
of Houston, and Renee Hardy of Taos, N.M. 

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Bellaire United Methodist Church, 4417 
Bellaire Blvd. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the church.

MADISON COORDINATOR'S NOTE: Martha Page Johnson Lawson grew up in Tallulah and was a member 
of the Tallulah High School Class of 1948.