William P. Lawrence

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Vice Admiral William Porter Lawrence (January 13, 1930 – December 2, 2005) was an officer in the United States Navy.

Lawrence was a noted test pilot who became the first Naval Aviator to fly twice the speed of sound in a Naval aircraft and was also one of the final candidates for the Mercury space program. During the Vietnam War, Lawrence was shot down while on a combat mission and spent several years as a prisoner of war; during this time he became noted for his resistance to his captors.

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Lawrence served from 1978-1981 as the school's Superintendent. His daughter, Naval Captain Wendy B. Lawrence, USN, graduated with the Class of 1981 and became a Naval Aviator and an astronaut.

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[edit] Early life and education

Lawrence was a native of Nashville, Tennessee, and attended local schools. He distinguished himself as a student athlete both at Nashville's West High School and at the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated with the Class of 1951. During his time at the Academy, he held several high-ranking cadet offices, including Commander of the Brigade of Midshipman. His major accomplishments included helping to establish the Honor Concept governing midshipmen's conduct.

[edit] Naval Aviator

Lawrence received his "wings of gold" as a Naval Aviator in 1952. He worked as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. When NASA established the manned-spaceflight program, Lawrence became part of Project Mercury and made it to the final round of candidates. He was released from the program only because of a small heart murmur discovered during flight training.

[edit] Prisoner of war

In 1967, then-Commander Lawrence was serving as commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 143, aboard the carrier USS Constellation. On June 28, 1967, his F4-B Phantom jet was shot down over North Vietnam; he and his back-seater, Lieutenant James W. Bailey, were forced to eject. They were captured by the North Vietnamese and held as prisoners of war in Hanoi until 1973. Along with fellow prisoner and Naval Aviator James Stockdale, Lawrence became noted for resistance to his captors.

While a prisoner, Lawrence mentally composed poetry to help keep up his spirits. His poem "Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee," composed in honor of his native state, was adopted in 1973 as Tennessee's official state poem.

[edit] Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy

Admiral Lawrence served as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy from August 1978 to August 1981. His daughter, Wendy, attended the Academy during that period as part of the Class of 1981, the second USNA class to include female graduates.

[edit] Awards and honors

His military decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, three Silver Stars, a Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star with Combat “V”, two Purple Hearts and numerous other decorations.

  • In 2000, the Naval Academy recognized Lawrence's contributions to his alma mater by presenting him with one of its Distinguished Graduate Awards.
  • In 2004, Admiral Lawrence was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, in recognition of his athletic achievements both in high school and college.

[edit] References

[edit] See Also

List of Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy


[edit] External links

Preceded by
Kinnaird R. McKee		 Superintendent of United States Naval Academy
1978-1981		 Succeeded by
Edward C. Waller
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