MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Lax of Memphis, formerly of Paducah, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. today at Green Turtle Bay Resort Conference Center in Grand Rivers, Ky. All friends and relatives are invited. The couple requests no gifts.

Mr. Lax and the former Betty Jo Hobby were married Jan. 11, 1961, in Paducah.

Mrs. Lax retired from Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah. She is the daughter of the late Hershal and Marie Hobby.

Mr. Lax retired from Commonwealth Insurance Co. He is the son of the late Frank Lax and the late Edna Spalding.

They have three children: Laura Smith and Jerry Lax Jr., both of Memphis, and Leslie Gieseking of Needham, Ind.; and seven grandchildren.