William Evans Lawrence was born April 15, 1883 in Randolph County, Indiana. He earned a B.S. from Earlham College (Indiana) in 1904 and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. Prior to coming to Oregon Agricultural College in 1910 as a botany instructor, he taught at Michigan State College in 1906 and Oklahoma A&M from 1907-1909. Lawrence was an associate professor of plant ecology at the time of his death. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and held membership in the Botanical and Ecological Societies of America, the American Association of University Professors, and the Sigma Xi honor society.
