Samuel B. Lawrence

Samuel B. Lawrence, a noted Central Florida businessman, avid art collector, renowned dog owner, and longtime supporter of Rollins College, Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida Hospital and Holderness School, died at home on Sunday January 2nd. Born in Russia on May 10, 1921, he and his late mother, Eunice Haiman Lichtenstein Haas, entered the United States in 1925. Raised in Connecticut, Washington State, New York and Philadelphia, Mr. Lawrence was introduced to Orlando in the late 1930s by his mother, who wintered here. Educated at George Washington High School and having served with distinction as a member of the United States Marine Corps in World War II, Mr. Lawrence became a grower of shade tobacco in the Connecticut River Valley and served as a two-term representative in the Connecticut State Legislature. The novel "Parrish", written by his cousin Mildred Savage, was inspired by his life and was the basis for the movie of the same name, for which he served as technical advisor. In 1959, he and his former wife, the late Lois Becker Lawrence Odence, moved to Orlando with their two daughters. Mr. Lawrence invested at that time in the fledging Budget Rent A Car Company. Eventually, a major portion of Budget's corporate structure was moved to Orlando, and Mr. Lawrence, as executive vice president, oversaw its rapid growth into a worldwide corporation. When Budget was sold to TransAmerica Corporation , he became an investor and executive with Major Realty, a prominent real estate development concern in Central Florida. A highly proficient hunter and an award-winning trapshooter, Mr. Lawrence was also a superb fly fisherman who owned a home in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana for many years. He was also a familiar figure around the marinas of Singer Island and Chubb Key, where he fished for sailfish with great success. Since 1968, Mr. Lawrence had been certified as an AKC multi-breed judge. He and his wife Marion, whom he married in 1970, were owners of numerous championship dogs, among them most notably the wire-haired fox terrier Lacey, winner of the 1992 Best in Show award at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Their Pembroke corgi Kevin was awarded first in the Herding Group at Westminster in 2006. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence assembled, during their marriage, an outstanding collection of American art. Many of their paintings and sculptures have been shown at Cornell Art Museum at Rollins and at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. The Lawrences have made numerous gifts of art to the Cornell Museum. Other gifts to Rollins include the Samuel B. Lawrence Center and the Ruth duPont Terrace. Mr. Lawrence was named a CHIEF (Champion of Higher Education in Florida) by the presidents of the independent colleges and universities of Florida in 1993 and received an honorary doctor of letters degree from Rollins in 1995. He leaves his beloved wife of forty-one years, Marion Walters Lawrence; his two daughters, Barbara Alfond and her husband Theodore, and Ruth duPont and her husband Thomas; his step-daughters Kathleen Schumann, Debra Deluca and Diane Deluca; seven grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. He, and his family, are very grateful to his loving and devoted caregivers Dorrie (Tiny) Dockrey. And Vitra (Cindy) Ferguson. A memorial service will be held at the Knowles Memorial Chapel at Rollins College on Wednesday January 5th at 11:30. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Lawrence's name may be made to the Samuel B. Lawrence Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o President Lewis Duncan, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789. Arrangement entrusted to DeGusipe Funeral Home & Crematory. Please visit www.DeGusipeFuneralHome.com to leave and view a condolence. 407-695-CARE (2273)

Samuel B. Lawrence

May 10, 1921 - January 2, 2011