Send Me No Flowers

2011 women's conference keynote speaker announced

The Women’s Commission of Southwest Louisiana is pleased to announce that plans are underway for the 2011 Women’s Conference, which is scheduled for Thursday, October 20, 2011. This year’s keynote speaker is the multi-talented Vickie Lawrence. Lawrence was born in Inglewood, California where she excelled in dancing, singing, cheerleading and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by her graduating class. During her senior year of high school, Lawrence sent Carol Burnett a letter which included a local newspaper article mentioning their resemblance. She invited Burnett to the local fire department’s “Miss Fireball Contest” in which she was performing. Burnett, looking for an actress to play her kid sister on her new variety series, contacted Lawrence and made arrangements to come to the event. The rest is television history. “The Carol Burnett Show” premiered in the fall of 1967, the same year Lawrence entered UCLA to study Theater Arts. She spent 11 years with Burnett, earning one Emmy Award and five Emmy nominations. Lawrence was the honorary head of the D.A.R.E. program in Long Beach, California for two years while her kids were still young and in school. Around that time, she and her husband also became members of the Long Beach Police Officer’s Association, an organization that raises money to protect the widows and families of slain police officers. Her efforts to protect women’s rights were recognized in 1988 when Lawrence was the first woman to be honored as “Person of the Year” by the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Shortly thereafter, she became one of the few successful female game show hosts when she took on the daytime network-version of “Win, Lose or Draw.” Lawrence further perfected her hosting skills on her own daytime talk show, appropriately called “Vicki!” from 1992 to 1994. She received critical acclaim when she was the only talk show host since Oprah to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy in her freshman year. In the fall of 1997, she briefly returned to daytime talk as the host of “Fox After Breakfast” from New York City. Mama for President:  Good Lord, Why Not? written by Vicki Lawrence and Monty Aidem, as told by Thelma “Mama” Harper, was published by Thomas Nelson on  May 20, 2008. Finally, a candidate who will speak her mind and put the country on the right track. From health care to homeland security, Mama has a plan, and not afraid to tell you about it. She tackles the big issues, and runs a campaign that has everyone running. Bitingly funny and brutally honest, Mama may just have the answer - but if not, at least readers will have a great laugh. Since 2002, Lawrence has spent much of her time on the road with her stage production “Vicki Lawrence and Mama, A Two Woman Show”.  She also travels all over the country speaking to women’s organizations about her life and career, women's health, and being a woman in a man's world. All the while she approaches everything with her characteristic sense of humor, reminding us all that “Life is much too serious to be taken seriously!” She works with the Humane Society, has done much work with the American Heart Association and their “Go Red for Women” campaign. When she is in town hosts the annual WALK FOR THE CURE in her hometown where all the proceeds go to breast and ovarian cancer research at Long Beach Memorial Center. In 1974, Lawrence married the head of CBS make-up, Al Schultz, who is both her best friend and professional partner. The couple have two grown children, Courtney and Garrett. They live at the beach with their two dogs, Tascha, a chocolate Lab, and Lucas, a petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. In their spare time Al and Vicki enjoy yacht racing. They own a 70-foot sloop named, fittingly, “Vicki.

Send me no flowers, a comedy in three acts

Send Me No Flowers

Send Me No Flowers

Send Me No Flowers

Send Me No Flowers