Lawrence “Willie” Vanhook, tobacco grader

Lawrence “Willie” Vanhook of Cedar Grove was one of the first African-Americans to become a tobacco grader for the United States Department of Agricuslture.  He also was one of the first African-American graders for the burley tobacco markets in Tennessee and Kentucky.   Vanhook was the first Afraican-American tobacco buyer for the Universal Leaf Tobacco Company and  for Phillip Morris USA, incljuding foreign countries.