Dr. Roy A. Lawrence’s life was distinguished by his deep commitment to education, leadership and service.
That commitment will continue in perpetuity through a scholarship endowment established with the Rogers State University Foundation by his children Susan, Scott and David Lawrence, in memory of their father’s lifelong dedication to education and in hopes that his life can be an inspiration to students.
The Dr. Roy A. Lawrence Endowed Scholarship will provide funds for academic scholarships for deserving students attending RSU and majoring in engineering. It is the first endowment created to support an engineering program at RSU.
“The establishment of this endowment honoring Dr. Lawrence’s life and career is a milestone moment for our chemical engineering program, and we are grateful to the Lawrence family for giving back in such a meaningful manner,” said Dr. Mark Rasor, interim president.
“We are so proud to be able to support my father’s alma mater and the future engineers of Oklahoma with this scholarship,” said Susan Lawrence.
Raised by his uncle’s family in the tiny town of Goltry, Oklahoma, during the Great Depression, Lawrence followed the family tradition to become a cadet at the Oklahoma Military Academy during World War II, during the last years of horse cavalry. He attended OMA (now Rogers State University) for five years, graduating high school in 1947 and junior college in 1949.
He was a respected platoon leader, member of the Saber Society, and a member of the O Club in baseball. He thrived in OMA’s atmosphere that created competition and camaraderie in academics, athletics and leadership.
Transferring to the University of Oklahoma, Lawrence earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics in 1951. He then worked as a physicist for Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, focusing on optical research.
Lawrence fulfilled OMA’s ROTC service commitment serving in the Army at the Aberdeen Proving Ground from 1954-56, conducting optical testing of artillery weapons. After discharge, he became a nuclear engineer for Convair/General Dynamics in Texas, working in the nuclear-powered bomber development program.
While working and raising a family, he earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Southern Methodist University.
Lawrence became a professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio University in 1967. He enjoyed the variety of challenges presented by the field of mechanical engineering, and his career included research into then-emerging topics of energy efficiency and robotics. As chairperson of the mechanical engineering department, he oversaw decades of growth, hosted international students in his home, and hired and mentored a diverse faculty. He retired as professor emeritus in 1996.
A creative thinker who enjoyed inventing and problem solving, Lawrence always challenged himself to learn new fields. He designed and built the family home and furniture. Becoming a pilot in his fifties, he enjoyed flying his own plane. A lifelong athlete, he celebrated a hole-in-one in golf, ran two marathons, and continued playing tennis and paddling an annual kayak poker regatta into his nineties.
RSU began offering its first engineering program in 2023 with the launch of its Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. Currently, 28 students are enrolled in the program, all from the state of Oklahoma.
For more information about Rogers State University, visit www.rsu.edu.