Very sad news: Laurie Verge has passed

[Tom Bogar]

Tentatively approaching the registration desk of my first Surratt Society Conference nearly twenty years ago, I was immediately enveloped by the warm welcome of Laurie Verge, who despite not knowing me from Adam and despite her manifold responsibilities for the conference, took the time to ask what had brought me there and what I was working on. I think nearly every one of us can remember our first impression of Laurie, and I’ll bet it was similar to mine. I’ve long lost track of how many times since then I relied on her advice and phenomenal knowledge about the Lincoln assassination. Her review of my book remains to this day at the head of the queue, voted “Most Helpful,” a phrase that certainly sums up Laurie and her tireless dedication to the cause of the diligent pursuit of accurate, verifiable research. She was the gold standard of “getting it right,” and I pitied anyone foolish enough to stand in her way. For this I respected her immensely, and will always treasure memories of my interactions with her.

Tom