Judy Christie, a former ''Times'' editor called Lazarus "the finest wordsmith I ever knew and an editor until the very end. He said his interest in grammar and typos began at birth when his first name was misspelled ... on his birth certificate..<ref name=wordsmith>{{cite web|url=https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2020/05/18/former-times-managing-editor-allan-lazarus-dies/5216866002/|title=Former Times Managing Editor Allan Lazarus dies at 92|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|date=May 18, 2020|accessdate=May 20, 2020}}</ref> Kathie Coffey Rowell, a former ''Times'' features editor, said that Lazarus "wanted your best, but he got it by coaching, not criticizing. One of the most important things I learned from him - details count, no matter how small."<ref name=wordsmith/> | Judy Christie, a former ''Times'' editor called Lazarus "the finest wordsmith I ever knew and an editor until the very end. He said his interest in grammar and typos began at birth when his first name was misspelled ... on his birth certificate..<ref name=wordsmith>{{cite web|url=https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2020/05/18/former-times-managing-editor-allan-lazarus-dies/5216866002/|title=Former Times Managing Editor Allan Lazarus dies at 92|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|date=May 18, 2020|accessdate=May 20, 2020}}</ref> Kathie Coffey Rowell, a former ''Times'' features editor, said that Lazarus "wanted your best, but he got it by coaching, not criticizing. One of the most important things I learned from him - details count, no matter how small."<ref name=wordsmith/> |