George Howard Lawrence

George H. Bud LawrenceDate of Death: November 12, 2016Born November 1, 1925, in Bartlesville, OK, Bud Lawrence grew up in an oil and gas town with Philips Petroleum Company, Cities Services Oil Company and National Zinc Company, among the first and largest companies to use natural gas. At a very young age he had a paper route and eventually bought his first bicycle and added more paper routes. He also worked on one of his uncle’s oil leases as a helper on his cable tool drilling rig.After graduating from high school in May of 1942, Bud enrolled in a junior college pre-engineering course and a nine month Cities Services career. With parental permission to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17, he began boot camp in San Diego, CA. He served in Iowa Jima and was discharged in February 1946.Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK was Bud’s next stop where he received a degree in industrial engineering. He also met his bride of 68 years, Shirley Jo Thompson, who was a member of Kappa Delta and a Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, his fraternity. They were married on September 4, 1948, and moved to Houston, Texas, where Bud worked from 1949 to 1959 for Humble Oil Company as a petroleum engineer. During that time he received his law degree from Southern Texas College of Law and served as an attorney for Humble, specializing in natural gas issues.In 1964, the family moved to Alexandria, Virginia, when Bud was recruited to work for the American Petroleum Institute. He joined the American Gas Association in 1968 as a manager of the Association’s Washington Office. When A.G.A. moved its corporate headquarters from New York, NY, to Arlington, VA, he served in a number of key positions and became president of the organization on November 1, 1976. He was at A.G.A.’s helm when the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 became law and was involved in the industry’s efforts to reform the legislation to benefit consumers and the nation’s energy self-sufficiency. He was one of the stewards of the natural gas industry’s transition from a highly regulated business to one that is increasingly free of regulatory constraints.Bud Lawrence was a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas and a member of the American, Texas and Federal Energy Bar Associations. He was honored in 1980 with the prestigious National Energy Resources Organization NERO Award for Distinguished Service in 1980. He was a member of the board of directors of the National Energy Foundation, served on the governing council of the 40-nation International Gas Union, and in 1983 became a member of the Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame. He retired from A.G.A. in 1990 and that year he received the A.G.A. Distinguished Service Award.George Lawrence is now in Heaven with his wife of 68 years, Shirley Jo Lawrence, who died on October 18, 2016, his parents, Chester Allen and Pearl Lawrence, his sister, Alleene Lawrence Sandstrum, his brother-in-law Donald Sandstrum, his oldest son, Michael Lawrence, his grandson, Mark D’Angelo, and his granddaughter, Christina Lawrence. He is survived by his children, Linda Lawrence, George H. Lawrence, Jr., Amy Jo Lawrence, and his sister’s children, niece Mary Kay Sandstrum Shepherd and nephew Steven Sandstrum, his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jean and John Roberts, his nephew, Terry Roberts, nieces Sherry Roberts, Cathy Roberts Hammond, his sister-in-law, Peggy Osborn, and nephew Lawrence Thompson, III.A memorial service will be held at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Road, Alexandria, VA, on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.