Campus Campus Mourns Death of Professor Lawrence The Drake community was stunned by the death of David B. Lawrence, the Thomas F. Sheehan distinguished professor of finance, on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001. He was 48. "Our dear colleague David Lawrence died with his boots on," wrote Jack Manders in an open letter to the family, friends, students and colleagues of Professor Lawrence. "Stricken with a fatal heart attack while he was doing what he did best, teaching, mentoring, coaching and caring for his students." Manders, professor of business law, described Lawrence as "a consummate teacher and colleague." He noted that Lawrence "was always available to his students and their needs always came first in his duties. The students in return loved and honored him, which is so "When I think of David Lawrence I think of a student-centered learning environment. David always found time to work with students to help them achieve their goals and objectives. He set a great example for the rest of us." -- Lou Ann Simpson clearly reflected by the fact that he won the coveted Teacher of the Year award twice in our college." The CBPA Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award will be renamed The David B. Lawrence Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award in his honor. "Dedication of the College's teaching award in his memory is most appropriate. There has never been a finer teacher in the College of Business and Public Administration, and this College has had some truly outstanding teachers over the years," said Doug Hillman, Aliber distinguished professor of accounting. The campus community held a tribute and tree dedication honoring Lawrence on Oct. 25, 2001. David's son and daughter Sarah and Daniel Lawrence, shared memories along with Drake faculty, students and staff. Dean Alber announced the David B. Lawrence Memorial Scholarship had been established in his honor. "His greatest passion was teaching, and integrity marked all of his relationships," said Pat Heaston, Aliber distinguished professor of accounting. "You always knew exactly what Dave's position was on everything. If he disagreed with your position, that is exactly what it was---a disagreement with your position, not with you. It did not get personal and he was respectful of those who disagreed with him." Faculty, staff and friends come to honor David Lawrence by dedicating a tree outside Aliber Hall "When I think of David Lawrence I think of a student-centered learning environment. David always found time to work with students to help them achieve their goals and objectives. He set a great example for the rest of us," said Lou Ann Simpson, executive assistant to the president and professor of business law. John Rozycki, associate professor of finance, said Lawrence was "an excellent professor and researcher who had a lot of energy and was always very lively, interesting and funny in class." He added that Lawrence was noted for his wisdom, honesty and integrity. "People valued his opinion. I'm going to miss him a lot. We all will." In addition to his work at Drake, Lawrence was a member of the Iowa Economic Forecasting Council, the Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Tax and Incentive Working Group. The David B. Lawrence Memorial Scholarship for finance and economics students has been created to honor Professor Lawrence's memory. Anyone interested in contributing to the scholarship may send a check (payable to Drake University) to: The Office of Institutional Advancement, 2507 University Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50311-4505
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