Open Mic

As soon as local senior Tracy Lawrence learned about the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he rushed down to enlist in the Navy, leaving his parents and younger brothers behind. But before the war was over, there would be four Lawrence brothers fighting in the Pacific—two as Navy officers and the other two (twins) as Marines.  Each saw action and lost close buddies in some of the war’s fiercest battles, as the tenacious Japanese were dug out of their island fortresses.

“It was amazing that we all came through such dangerous combat all in one piece; but thank the Lord, he brought us all back home safely,” said Lawrence in reverent tones from his home at The Buckingham senior living community in Houston.

Perhaps just as amazing was a mid-war reunion that all four brothers had at Pearl Harbor when their ships came in at the same time. Lawrence had been checking daily for news of his brothers, which was difficult due to wartime secrecy on troop movements. The Navy shipyard clerk told Lawrence day after day she couldn’t disclose the whereabouts of units.  But one day as he did his daily check in, she smiled at him and said, “I can’t tell you any specifics but if it were me, I would go check at Pier 7.”

“I ran as fast as I could down to that pier to find those boys,” said Lawrence.  “And sure enough, at Pier 7, I found the twins, Winton and Quinton. One of them had heard where the ship of our other brother, Wayne, was moored.  And we found him too!”

All four brothers were reunited where it all began, having just arrived from various island battles. It was an extraordinary coincidence. Lawrence explained that it was very unusual for four brothers to be in the service at the same time to begin with, let alone all meeting during wartime.  It was so unusual, in fact, that the Honolulu Tribute sent a photographer down to photograph them and ran a story about their wartime reunion.

After “swapping stories” and a great visit, the four were again separated by the winds of war. Fortunately, they all survived without injury or mishap, and each went on to a successful life when it ended.  Some war experiences even gave good career training.

Lawrence had served as the youngest Chief Petty Officer in the Navy at 23, in the newly formed 98th Construction Battalion, also called the “Seabees.” Thirty days after leaving the service, Lawrence’s former officer visited him and offered him a job in his construction equipment company.  He enjoyed a long and prosperous career there until retirement about five years ago when he sold his business and moved to The Buckingham.

Along with his military and business accomplishments, Lawrence also invested his talents in future generations and spiritual values.  He helped found Houston Baptist University and was a board member for many years. He remains active with HBU to this day. He was honored with an honorary doctorate from HBU for his contributions.

Today, Dr. Lawrence lives with his wife of 66 years, Elma Lee, at The Buckingham in Houston. Of the four brothers, only his brother Wayne is still living, who happened to marry Elma’s sister, who is also now deceased.  But for this 91-year-old dynamo, life’s adventures are far from over.

“I’m not ready to give up and I’m still getting around good, doing the things I enjoy, like golf occasionally,“ said Lawrence.  He was the youngest man to ever letter in football at Carthage High (in 1933 at age 15), the youngest Chief Petty Officer in the Navy during WWII, and the first of four brothers to take the fight back across the Pacific after that infamous day in 1941.  Why would he think of slowing down now?

ABOUT THE BUCKINGHAM

The Buckingham is Houston’s premier life care senior living community located in the heart of the Memorial neighborhood.  Situated on a 17-acre site along Buffalo Bayou at 8580 Woodway Drive, The Buckingham offers resort-style services and amenities for active, independent seniors, as well as all levels of health care services on-site at The Plaza at The Buckingham.  The community features 205 independent living residences; 42 private assisted living apartments; 16 private memory support apartments; and 60 private skilled nursing suites.

The Buckingham is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit senior living community owned by Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation (SQLC), a Texas-based nonprofit organization that owns sister communities Edgemere in Dallas, Querencia at Barton Creek in Austin, The Stayton at Museum Way under development in Fort Worth, and Mirador under development in Corpus Christi.  For information visit www.buckinghamhouston.com, or call (832) 426-1372.