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William Porter "Bill" Lawrence (January 13, 1930December 2, 2005), was a decorated United States Navy vice admiral and naval aviator who served as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy from 1978 to 1981. Lawrence was a noted pilot who became the first naval aviator to fly twice the speed of sound in a naval aircraft and was also one of the final candidates for the Mercury space program. During the Vietnam War, Lawrence was shot down while on a combat mission and spent six years as a prisoner of war, from 1967 to 1973. During this time he became noted for his resistance to his captors. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Lawrence served as the school's Superintendent from 1978 to 1981. ==Early life and education== Lawrence's parents and grandparents were from Tennessee. Lawrences father Robert Landy "Fatty" Lawrence attended Vanderbilt University, where he was a noted student-athlete who graduated in 1924. Lawrence was a native of Nashville, and attended local schools. When in the fourth grade, Lawrence composed a poem called ''Little Fly'': :Little Fly :''I saw a little fly up on the wall.'' :''I said to him "Little fly, aren't you afraid you'll fall?"'' :''He looked at me a minute, then winked his eye.'' :''And then he shifted into second, and then into high.'' Lawrence distinguished himself as a student athlete at Nashvilles West High School, and in 1947 turned down a scholarship at Yale University to attend the United States Naval Academy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William P. Lawrence」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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