George Hart Lawrence III

George Hart Lawrence III

Goldsboro

George Hart Lawrence III, longtime journalist, communications consultant and larger than life North Carolinian, died Monday in Goldsboro. He was 58.

Lawrence spent 23 years in the media, as a writer, editor and associate publisher, including 15 years at The News & Observer of Raleigh, where he oversaw news coverage in Chapel Hill and Durham and led the paper's expansion in the western Triangle. Previously, he was city editor of the Gastonia Gazette, news editor of The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City and sports editor of The Cary News.

He was also an involved volunteer in the Bull City, where he was a member of the Downtown Durham Rotary Club and the Duke-Durham campaign. He served on the boards of the Carolina Theatre of Durham, the N.C. Museum of Life and Science and Downtown Durham Inc.

After leaving the newspaper business, he taught journalism at the UNC School of Media and Journalism and formed his own communications consulting firm, G.H. Lawrence & Associates. He directed media events and public affairs strategy for nonprofits across the state, including Be Active North Carolina, the Medicare Rx Access Network and the N.C. Community Development Initiative.

Lawrence was born in Port Chester, N.Y. and grew up in Goldsboro, where he graduated from Goldsboro High School and was a state-ranked tennis player. He earned his undergraduate degree from N.C. State University.

Lawrence had varied hobbies — finding American Indian artifacts, hunting deer with his father, roasting oysters at parties and collecting Rock 'n' Roll memorabilia. He was a huge Wolfpack fan and lover of poetry and great writing. He could quote a Gram Parsons lyric in the same breath as an Ernest Hemingway novel, and he could weave a story like no one else.

He was a member of the N.C. Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the N.C. Press Association, the N.C. Archaeological Society and the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association.

A gregarious personality who made instant friends wherever he went, Lawrence was utterly devoted to his friends and family. He will be missed beyond measure. He was predeceased by his father, George Hart Lawrence II. He is survived by his beloved son, Wells Lawrence and Wells' mother, Jane Stancill; George's mother Pamela Royall Lawrence; sister Holly Lawrence; niece Isabelle Reynolds and nephews Spencer Reynolds and James Reynolds; an uncle; many cousins; and untold number of friends.

A memorial service will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Carolina Theatre of Durham, at 309 W. Morgan St. in Durham. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice.