David Perry Lawrence, June 25, 2022

David Lawrence passed away on June 25, 2022.  Here is the profile he contributed to Yale1969.org just prior to the 50th reunion.

Following my life backwards from the present (2018). A retired commercial photographer of politicians (hired by the campaigns of three Presidents), movie stars, celebrities, and Titans of Industry, I live with my wife Judy in a suburb of Milwaukee. We moved here in 2014 to be with her kids and grandkids, and to welcome a new granddaughter into the world. These days I spend my time photographing flowers in a studio. Please visit ElegantFlowerPhotographs.com. Several large prints on canvas have been accepted as finalists in national photography shows and have been exhibited across the country.

Before a brief stay in the Midlands of South Carolina, we lived in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico for three years. Ajijic (pronounced Ah-Hee–Heek and ever so much fun to spell), is a former fishing village on Lake Chapala, just south of Guadalajara, which has become a settlement for artists from around the world and retirees from the US in particular. We had a wonderful time in Ajijic, and while there I had five photographs published in NatGeo.com, the website of the National Geographic. But there is an ugly and violent inter-gang drug war going on in Mexico. At the time, it hadn’t resulted in violence against gringos; it was purely one Mexican cartel against another. We lived in a beautiful house in the Mexican part of the village, and woke one morning to hear that the headless bodies of 13 boys and men had been discovered in a culvert beside a road not far away. Sadly, one of the boys lived just two houses away from us. We used to see him and his brothers playing soccer in the street most afternoons after school. I went to pay my respects to his father, who kept crying ‘Mi hijo’ (my son) to me over and over in front of an altar he had erected in his small living room. In just a few days, he had moved out, his house was boarded up, and we never heard or saw from him again. That’s when we decided to move back to the states.

Before moving to Mexico, I had been a commercial photographer in my hometown of Dallas for close to 30 years, shooting mostly politicians, celebrities, and businessmen. It was a fun life and as the years went by, I got better and better at it.

Before Dallas came two years living in Hawaii and before that two years travelling in Europe and Morocco before settling down in the Canary Islands for 8 months. It was 1971 when my girlfriend and I tried to get into Morocco, and it took me three haircuts over three days for us to do it because the authorities in Spain wouldn’t let us on the ferry until I didn’t look like a ‘hippy’.

My first wife, Susan, recently died of lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking. I have two wonderful step-daughters, Alexa and Ashley, from our marriage who I helped raise since they were six and four, and who have loved me and treated me as their true dad. From them come four grandchildren I am so proud of.

It’s been a fun and interesting life. I have a wonderful, wonderful wife. Please write!

CAREER

I’ve spent most of my time since graduation as a commercial photographer. I was hired by the campaigns of Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, to be the official photographer at their rallies in Texas. I’ve also been engaged to photograph President Ford and other politicians. I’ve taken portraits of too many corporate CEO’s and other executives to remember. Many were for the companies themselves, other for magazines in the US and Europe.

Since retirement in 2009, I’ve had five photographs published in NatGeo.com, and several of my photographs of flowers have been finalists and been exhibited in photography shows across the country.

David’s widow Judy wrote a wonderful tribute for the Class Notes:

“He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in July of 2021.  He followed all protocols presented, with chemo, radiation, surgery, which took 8.5 hours, followed by months of immunotherapy.  After repeated and painful hospital visits and bouts with rehab, David took control and decided to enter hospice.  He fought valiantly.  He passed on his own terms June 25, 2022.

A wonderfully articulate, insightful, brilliant, charming, humorous character passed too soon.  I miss him more than words can say.  He chose not to have a memorial service and was cremated.  I will take his ashes to a lighthouse we both loved to visit located on the bluffs above Lake Michigan.

A memorial has been set up through the senior community where I am resident psychologist and community manager.  Gifts toward the memorial continue to come in.  The activities committee will decide what type of memorial will be placed on their campus, once all contributions have been received.  I think it goes without saying, but I will, he was always the life of the party and had many friends everywhere including his new home in Wisconsin.”

See also

https://www.saatchiart.com/davidperrylawrence

https://www.pinterest.es/pin/340021840598062144/

https://www.photoawards.com/winner/zoom.php?eid=8-142690-17

https://mobile.twitter.com/dperrylawrence

and his explanation of his career for Fine Art America, an on-demand printer of fine prints:

I was interested in photography as a child, and my father had even bought me an enlarger so that I could set up a small darkroom in my bedroom at night.

One afternoon in the 5th grade, a large tornado approached Dallas. I rushed home, found my father’s 35mm Exacta camera, climbed on the roof, and began taking photos of the tornado. My plan was to develop the film and make prints to sell the next day. Unfortunately, I did not understand any of the settings, and of course the pictures did not come out. So went my first attempt at creating and selling photographs.

When I went off to Yale, I planned on becoming a Nuclear Physicist. Later, an Economist. Then I re-discovered photography, traveling to Europe, the Canary Islands, Morocco, Liberia, and Hawaii taking pictures. Finally, I settled down and worked as a commercial photographer in Dallas for over 30 years. I primarily shot portraits on locations, including many movie stars and had the honor of being hired by their campaigns to photograph Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

In my 60’s I retired to Mexico and began taking pictures there. I was fortunate to have five of my photographs published on NatGeo.com.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to count Walker Evans and Jay Maisel among my teachers.

Several years ago, I moved to Greenfield, Wisconsin, outside Milwaukee. It was only in the Spring of 2014, while looking for subjects to photograph, that I discovered wildflowers. Now I am completely hooked on flowers, and feel I have finally found what I was meant to photograph.

I try to make my flower photographs intellectually interesting, often showing the anatomy of the flower, pleasing to the eye, and emotionally soothing. I hope you find them that way.

David Perry Lawrence joined Fine Art America on April 3rd, 2013.