Walter Lawrence Gulick *57

The 15th president of St. Lawrence University, Lawry died in Canton, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2023, at age 95.

Born in Summit, N.J., July 4, 1927, Lawry enlisted in the Army in 1945 and served as a paratrooper in the Pacific at the end of World War II and during the post-war occupation of Japan.

Upon graduation from Hamilton College in 1952, he worked at E.I. DuPont as an industrial psychologist before beginning graduate work in experimental psychology at the University of Delaware (M.A.) and Princeton, earning his Ph.D. in psychology in 1957.

Lawry spent five decades working in higher education as professor and researcher at the University of Delaware and Dartmouth. He served as dean of Hamilton College, and was president of St. Lawrence from 1981 to 1987.

Lawry was a dedicated architect of a more inclusive and diverse community at St. Lawrence, urging the university to embrace underserved and underrepresented populations. A lifelong music lover, he brought the Alexander String Quartet to campus for annual residencies. He wrote poetry and two works of fiction. 

Predeceased in November 2022 by his wife of 70 years, Winifred, Lawry is survived by his children, Hans, Tod, and Kristina; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.