Board of Directors
Shelley Cammack - President
Shelley Witt Long Cammack is a native Nashvillian with deep roots in Giles County through her mother, Betty Will Witt Long (1931-2010). Betty, along with her brother, Carter H. Witt and other descendants of John Laird, was instrumental in the initial formation of the JLCA which saved the John Laird Cemetery from ruin and oblivion. The large stone bench in the middle of the cemetery is dedicated to her mother’s memory. Shelley is a 3X great granddaughter of Martha (“Patsy”) Laird and Robert Malone Bugg and a 4X granddaughter of John Laird and Anna Maria Frey. Shelley spent many days of her childhood visiting her intergenerational Witt kin on the farm in Lynnville where her first cousin George Witt and his family now reside. She remembers locating the cemetery’s whereabouts with her mother and brother in 1984. Shelley has a BA ’81 and an MBA ’88 from Vanderbilt University. Serving as the President of the JLCA Board of Directors brings her great joy and challenges as she and the board navigate honoring their 19th century heritage through the lens of 21st century technology.
George Witt - Vice President
George Lanier Witt is a fifth-generation farmer living in one of the oldest residences in Giles County. He was born and raised in the same log house that was built nearly two hundred years ago by Robert Malone Bugg Sr and John Laird—George's 3X great and 4X great-grandfathers respectively. George and his wife Sarah’s children are the eighth generation to have lived under its protective roof. A cattle farmer and highly successful coach of his daughters’ Richland High School Girls’ Soccer team, George has served on the JLCA’s Board of Directors since 2007.
Elizabeth Abernathy - Treasurer
Elizabeth Abernathy is a native Nashvillian who lived in Birmingham, Alabama for 27 years before moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 2008. Prior to retirement, she taught accounting at Middle Tennessee State University. She is a 3X great granddaughter of Martha (“Patsy”) Laird and Robert Malone Bugg and a 4X great granddaughter of John Laird and Anne Marie Frey. She has very fond childhood memories of visiting her grandmother, Lillie Reid Grigsby Abernathy, in Pulaski. Serving on the John Laird Cemetery Association Board of Directors gives her joy as she honors her father, grandmother, and her Lynnville heritage.
Charlene Sands Russell - Secretary
Dr. Charlene Sands Russell serves as Secretary of the John Laird Cemetery Association. She is a lifelong educator and is married to Bryan Russell. They have two children, Robert Matthew Russell and his wife, Katelin, and Emily Thomason and her husband, Shane. The Russell family are lifelong residents of Giles County. Charlene is an eighth-generation descendant of John Laird and Anna Marie Frey through their daughter, Nancy Laird Evans. She is honored to continue the tradition of service established by her parents, Houston Berry Sands and Sandy Hurd Sands, who also served on the JLCA Board of Directors. She is committed to preserving the history of the cemetery and the legacy of the Laird family for future generations.
Beth Rutherford - Board Member
Additional Board Members:
Mary Bonds Collier
Margaret Morring
J.D. Page, Jr.
Ricky Russell
Bobby Sands
Berry Sands
Sandy Sands
Carol Wade