Honoring a Man of Honor
In the first week of June 1951, Ensign Bill Lawrence graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. During his time as a midshipman, he was bothered about a then-typical practice known as “passing the dope.” Midshipmen who had taken quizzes early in the day told others what the questions were so they would have advance notice when they took the same quizzes later. Lawrence viewed the practice as less than honorable and sought to eliminate it. His sense of honor had developed during his days as a youngster in middle Tennessee. He avidly read the histories of Civil War generals and sought to emulate the ideals of commanders such as Robert E. Lee.
