Lawrence Rollin McKinney (b. Jun 23, 1912, d. Apr 12, 1999)
Lawrence Rollin McKinney (son of Glen Edison McKinney and Virginia Pearce) was born Jun 23, 1912 in Wingate, Montgomery County, Indiana, and died Apr 12, 1999 in Wingate, Montgomery County, Indiana. He married Alice C. Anderson on Sep 20, 1936 in Akron, Ohio.
Notes for Lawrence Rollin McKinney:
McKinney was "Mr. Fountain County"
Fountain County lost a friend this past week when Lawrence McKinney, 86, joined his ancestors in the family plot on his Walnut Knoll Farm. McKinney was a founder of the Fountain County Historical Society, served as its first president in 1960 and 1961, and knew every log cabin, covered bridge and hitching post from Attica to Kingman. For years, he led tours of the courthouse here, telling thousands of visitors about the Depression-era murals by Covington native Eugene Francis Savage. Until his death, McKinney also wrote weekly columns for The Fountain County Neighbor - little slices of everyday life from the 1920's and '30s. "He was IT," said Bob Quirk, current president of the 150- member historical society. "As far as I am concerned, he was Mr. Fountain County. He just loved anything having to do with Fountain County. He really knew it," he said. "I'm sure going to miss being able to ask him about such and such. He was absolutely irreplaceable." About three years ago, a videotape was made of McKinney's insightful mural tour. The society hopes to set up a TV and a VCR in the courthouse so visitors can view it. The group also plans to plant a tree in his memory, possibly on the courthouse lawn. McKinney majored in speech and history at Wabash College, and graduated in 1934. He left a big-city job when his father died, then spent 40 years on the family farm near Wingate. He and his wife, Alice, moved to Covington in 1978. McKinney was a gentleman farmer who, early on, called in erosion experts and adopted the most modern conservation practices. Friends remembered him as a comically inept mechanic who looked out of place on a tractor seat. His passions included conversation, recounting local history, reciting poetry, planting trees and listening to the sweet warble of songbirds. "Love of life is Daddy's legacy to me," said his daughter Anne, now of Laguna Nigel, California. "Dad really lived for people," says his son Pearce, of Wingate. "He knew very early his purpose in life." In 1944, McKinney helped organize the Fountain County Soil Conservation District. Later, he headed the Indiana Association of Soil Conservation Districts and served on national conservation boards. Through the years, he was president of the Fountain County 4-H and served on the Covington Tree Committee and the Covington-Veedersburg library. McKinney was a dynamic speaker, and late in life, became a popular newspaper writer, too. "People were always commenting on his column and how much they enjoyed it," said Christine Walsh, formerly of The Fountain County Neighbor. "I think a lot of people subscribed in large part because of it. They enjoyed the history, and because it was something local." McKinney was, indeed, "Mr. Fountain County," she said. "He was active in so many organizations and kind of had his finger on the pulse of the whole community. "He knew everyone and could tell you whom you needed to talk to. He was very helpful, very kind."
Written by Kevin Cullen for the Lafayette Journal & Courier, April, 1999
More About Lawrence Rollin McKinney: Burial: Unknown, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Wingate, Montgomery County, Indiana.
More About Lawrence Rollin McKinney and Alice C. Anderson: Marriage: Sep 20, 1936, Akron, Ohio.
Children of Lawrence Rollin McKinney and Alice C. Anderson are:
Charles Anderson McKinney, b. Sep 30, 1939, Wingate, Montgomery County, Indiana, d. Sep 30, 1939, Wingate, Montgomery County, Indiana.
Lawrence Rollin McKinney (b. Jun 23, 1912, d. Apr 12, 1999)
Notes for Lawrence Rollin McKinney: