In Memory of VADM William Lawrence
13 January 1930 - 2 December 2005
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Some background from the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame:
Every so often, a person comes along whose life is a model of distinction and whose accomplishments are truly inspiring and extraordinary. On so many levels, Vice Admiral William Lawrence is just that kind of example: A true American hero.
A native of Nashville, VADM Lawrence graduated first in his class at West High School and was President of the Student Body. He was ranking officer in the ROTC, All-City in football, All-State in basketball, a member of the state championship basketball team, state boy's tennis champion and a recipient of the coveted William Hume Award.
Lawrence attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he played three varsity sports and ranked 8 out of 725 academically. He also served as Class President, Commander of the Brigade of Midshipmen, and led the establishment of the present-day Brigade Honor Concept.
Upon receiving his Naval Aviator Wings in 1952, he was deployed twice to the Middle East. VADM Lawrence became the first Naval Aviator to fly twice the speed of sound in a Navy airplane, was among the final 32 candidates for the Project Mercury astronaut program, and was called the "ablest flyer, all things considered, that Pax River (Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, MD) ever produced."
While Commanding Officer of Fighter Squadron 143, he was shot down over North Vietnam in June 1967 and held as a Prisoner of War until March 1973. He was awarded the Silver Star for his selfless courage and the Distinguished Service Medal, the country's third highest military award, for his inspirational leadership of fellow POWs while under constant pressure and mistreatment from his captors. During his imprisonment in North Vietnam, VADM Lawrence composed a poem entitled "Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee" which was designated by the state legislature as the official poem of the State of Tennessee.
VADM Lawrence's military decorations include: Distinguished Service Medal (4 awards), Silver Star (3 awards), Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Heart (2 awards), Air Medal (3 awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, and Navy Commendation with Combat V (2 awards).
Among his many honors, the Nashville Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame established the William P. Lawrence Award, given annually to the outstanding football scholar-athlete. In 1979, he received the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Gold Medal, the foundation's highest honor. And in 1982, the Naval Academy established the Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence Award, a sword given annually to the most outstanding woman athlete. In 1984, he received both the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award (the association's highest honor) and the Liberty Bowl's Distinguished Citizen Award.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
My family first met VADM (Ret) Lawrence when my sister was a junior in high school and considering applying for admission at the Naval Academy. A family friend who had served with him introduced him to my mother and sister, and they met him and his wife Diane on a visit to the Academy in August of 1995. I was in Airborne School at the time, and my mother mentioned this to VADM Lawrence and then asked if he had ever done any parachuting. His reply was simple: "Once...."
The Lawrences were very helpful to my sister as she decided to apply and then went through the application process. One could hardly ask for better role models, and I think their help, and their example, were a big part of the reason Joanna ended up going there. In addition, Joanna also got to meet their daughter Wendy, who is now a Navy Captain and an astronaut - another excellent role model.
When Joanna died a year later, the Lawrences were there to help us. I first met them in the Academy Chapel. VADM Lawrence had suffered a stroke and had some difficulty walking, but he was determined to be with us at that time, just as he was determined to help his fellow POWs in North Vietnam, no matter what the cost.
And that is perhaps what best describes VADM Lawrence's character, at least what I saw of him: He never quit. A lot of men would have felt that serving as a POW for so many years and guiding fellow prisoners through the ordeal while suffering the worst abuses yourself, was enough. Not VADM Lawrence. He continued to serve, and became a much-admired Superintendent of the Naval Academy and a Fleet Commander, passing on what he had learned to younger officers and sailors. When he did retire, he could have said that was enough. But he continued to be involved with helping to mentor and develop our country's leaders. His physical condition slowed him, and now his body has failed completely. But VADM Lawrence's spirit has never wavered. It survived the POW camp, and all the other tribulations that life threw at him, and it lives on still in the hearts of all who served with him, and all those of us who knew and admired him.
He will never be forgotten.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee
by Vice-Admiral William Lawrence
Oh Tennesee, my Tennessee
What love and pride I feel for thee.
You proud ole state, the volunteer,
Your proud traditions I hold dear.
I revere your heroes
Who bravely fought our country's foes.
Renowned statesmen, so wise and strong,
Who served our country well and long.
I thrill at thoughts of mountains grand;
Rolling green hills and fertile farm land;
Earth rich with stone, mineral and ore;
Forests dense and wild flowers galore;
Powerful rivers that bring us light;
Deep lakes with fish and fowl in flight;
Thiving cities and industries;
Fine schools and universities;
Strong folks of pioneer descent,
Simple, honest, and reverent.
Beauty and hospitality
Are the hallmarks of Tennessee.
And o'er the world as I may roam,
No place exceeds my boyhood home.
And oh how much I long to see
My native land, my Tennessee.