Neal Lawrence

Neal Henry Lawrence, OSB wearing the robe of a Benedictine monk and the badge of the Order of the Rising Sun, which was conferred in 1993.

Neal Henry Lawrence OSB (22 January 1908 – 3 November 2004) was a naval officer, a diplomat, a monk, and academic/scholar and a poet. The chronology of his life comprises aspects of several disparate life stories.

Early years William Henry Lawrence Jr., was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, to William Henry and Sallie (Neblett) Lawrence. His preparatory education in Louisville, Kentucky was completed in 1922. His undergraduate years at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts led to an A.B. in English in 1929. After college Neal worked for 15 years as an executive at Lever Brothers, which was then located in Cambridge.

War years and aftermath In 1943, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. As Officer-in-Charge of the Supply Depot at Norfork, Virginia in 1943–1944, he oversaw all contracts for supplies at advance bases and ships. He moved to the front in 1945. Lawrence participated in the siege of Okinawa, landing with the US Marines in April 1945. 2002 -- Asiatic Society of Japan, Patron's Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Service.

Select works 1993 -- Shining moments: Tanka poems in English. Gualala, California: AHA Books. ; 1997 -- Okinawa: Battle and Regeneration. Tokyo: Asiatic Society of Japan. OCLC 61770857