By By Sharon White/The Meridian Star
March 15, 2001
When 66-year-old Robert Everett gets up in the morning, he no longer tries to go as fast as the trains on the railways where he worked for more than 40 years.
Sometimes he sleeps until well after sunrise, and many mornings before dressing for the day, he sits and enjoys his coffee while admiring the lake from the sunroom in his Toomsuba home.
But his slower pace of life has nothing to do with his age or poor health. After all, he has the heart of a 14-year-old.
Everett knows he would have never lived to see that day had it not been for Andy Smith teenage baseball player from Louisiana, who thrilled his parents with laughter and his love of life … until he died in 1996.
Since receiving his "gift of life," Everett said it became obvious God had plans for him to help others who one day would face similar situations.
Part of that work is evident today at the Lauderdale County Courthouse.
Working with longtime friend O.C. Barham of Barham Funeral Home, Everett helped arrange for a bronze wall plaque to be mounted in the courthouse lobby in memory of organ donors and their family. The unveiling of the plaque was set for this morning.
Everett said he shares Laird's hopes to the fullest.
Since 1998, organ donations in Mississippi have increased, especially since people such as Everett have begun helping with educational and awareness programs, Laird said.
Sharon White is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at swhite@themeridianstar.com.