Scott Lawrence was asked one day to share a real-life lesson with 40 classmates in his beginning finance class at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville.
His professor told the class: “I can only teach you out of the textbook. Mr. Lawrence can teach you from his own life.”
Lawrence could have offered engaging stories about his travels, years in the military, or his many jobs. But instead, he spoke candidly of a regret: during most of his working life, he spent everything he made and hadn’t worried about retirement until his 50s.
“He sounded a very urgent plea to the students,” GGC Finance Professor Atula K. Saxena said. “He said: ‘Guys, you need to be better at managing your finances than I was.’”
Lawrence’s words “struck a chord with the students,” his professor said. “They suddenly had a different respect for him.”
In August, just shy of his 82nd birthday, Lawrence became Georgia Gwinnett College’s oldest graduate, receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration that he never expects to employ professionally.
“I just want to keep my mind active,” he said. “I don’t want to be a vegetable and a burden to society for whatever time I have left.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Lawrence worked full-time for Atlanta Gas Light during the first two years of his 10 years at GGC. Even after he left the work world, he took no more than two or three courses a semester. And he always took summers off to travel, often to visit relatives or to explore the rich history of the Northeast.
He said he would not have been able to afford college except that Georgia waives tuition for anyone 62 and older with a desire to keep learning. To date, 5,422 Georgians have taken advantage of the law, including Lawrence and a 92-year-old who received a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University in 2019.
At Georgia Gwinnett, Lawrence referred to himself as the college’s “senior senior,” even having that moniker inscribed on writing pens he gave to professors and classmates.
His parents were big on education and wanted him to go to college after high school. But he was eager to start earning money, he said.
Lawrence joined the Army and stayed three years, despite his father’s misgivings. Later, he would spend 24 years as a food service sergeant in the Army Reserves.
“It was a good part-time job,” said Lawrence, who raised four children. “I did whatever it took to keep hearth and home together.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, and raised in Falls Church, Virginia, Lawrence had a wide variety of jobs. He sold cemetery plots, drove a charter bus, and worked in construction. He also managed restaurants and was a sous chef at a country club.
It was while he was winding down a 13-year job with Atlanta Gas Light that he decided to pursue his bachelor’s degree and build on his decades-long interest in computers. He started out as an information technology major, but, when calculus proved to be a serious stumbling block, switched to business administration with a concentration in management information systems.
His professors describe him as the ideal student – punctual, engaged, eager to learn, and willing to do the work.
“He’s a role model of a student, and that comes with the sincere attitude,” Saxena said.
Darryl Romanow, assistant professor of management information systems and design sciences, taught Scott in two challenging classes: business intelligence and international management information systems.
In the business intelligence course, Lawrence worked with software that was only created in 2016 and involved dashboards backed by millions of records.
“This is cutting-edge stuff, and he never blinked an eye,” Romanow said. “Most people shy away at 80 years old from new technology. For me, it was very inspiring what Scott was able to do in his time at GGC. I just think the world of him.”
Lawrence, a resident of Grayson, shared his cautionary tale about saving for retirement in several of his classes, telling all who would listen: “Compound interest is your friend.”'
“My finance professor thought I was amazing because I’m the perfect example of what not to do,” he said. “I didn’t buy a house until I was 66 years old.”
Marketing professor Luis E. Torres said Lawrence was always eager to share his experiences.
“And, of course, he had a lot of those in the military, as a business person and in life in general,” Torres said.
But Lawrence didn’t try to take control of the class or share too much, as some students can do, he said.
“He had a good balance of knowing when students wanted to hear his stories,” Torres said.
What inspired Prescott “Scott” Lawrence
Scott Lawrence says he is committed to staying active physically and mentally. He is the oldest graduate of Georgia Gwinnett College, having received his bachelor’s degree in business administration at a virtual graduation ceremony in August. He doesn’t have any plans to pursue an advanced degree but says he’s continuing to take classes on subjects of interest, such as the U.S. Constitution.
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