Elgin mourns former U-46 superintendent

When the Elgin area was hit by a big snowstorm more than 30 years ago, Paul Lawrence, then-superintendent of Elgin Area School District U-46, held a meeting of administrators and pledged to keep schools open the next day.

"He would always say, 'We're going to open tomorrow. No doubt about it,'" recalled Dave Covey, former principal of Kimball Middle School in Elgin.

But for several days, snow kept dumping on Elgin, and Lawrence was unable to keep his promise.

Finally, at one of the afternoon meetings, Lawrence, fed up with the weather, said, "The only way we're going to be closed tomorrow is if that snow is armpit high."

It snowed again.

At yet another meeting with the district's administrators, Lawrence "raised his arms above his head to indicate that to get through the snow you had to walk with your hands up because it was armpit high," Covey said. "That broke everybody up."

Covey and others who worked for Lawrence during his tenure in U-46 recalled their former boss' spontaneous and self-effacing sense of humor on Friday, a day after Lawrence died in Lexington, Ky., at the age of 82.

Elgin Mayor Ed Schock was a teacher during Lawrence's tenure, which stretched from 1966 to 1981, according to district records. At the time, Schock was president of the district's teachers union and often found himself on the opposite side of the bargaining table from Lawrence.

Still, Schock praised Lawrence's leadership on Friday, saying, "He was just a remarkable man. I have nothing but the highest regard for him. (He was) a lot of fun. He really had a great sense of humor. He was just a very quick wit."

Longtime Elgin City Council member Bob Gilliam, who worked in the district's human resources department during Lawrence's tenure, praised the former superintendent's "very strong, very forceful" leadership style.

"He'd listen to individuals and make a decision, then stand by it," Gilliam said. "It was always what was best for kids."

Before becoming superintendent, Lawrence was a teacher in Indiana and served in the Army during World War II.

Lawrence is survived by his wife, Patsy; his sons, Jeffry and Michael; his daughters, Kimberly and Kristine; his stepdaughters, Dee Dee and Stephanie; and 17 grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Oldham, Roberts and Powell Funeral Home in Richmond, Ky. Services will be held at 4 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Knox, Ind.

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