Neal Henry Lawrence OSB (22 January 1908 – 3 November 2004) was a

naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

, a

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

, and academic/

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

and a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

. The chronology of his life comprises aspects of several disparate life stories.

Early years

William Henry Lawrence, Jr., was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, to William Henry and Sallie (Neblett) Lawrence. His preparatory education in Louisville, Kentucky was completed in 1922. His undergraduate years at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in Cambridge, Massachusetts led to an A.B. in English in 1929. After college Neal worked for 15 years as an executive at Lever Brothers, which was then located in Cambridge. "Obituaries: Father Neal Henry Lawrence OSB, 96,"
, Collegeville, Minnesota.

War years and aftermath

In 1943, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. As Officer-in-Charge of the Supply Depot at Norfork, Virginia in 1943-1944, he oversaw all contracts for supplies at advance bases and ships. He moved to the front in 1945. Lawrence participated in the siege of Okinawa, landing with the US Marines in April 1945.

Military government

When the war ended, he became Director of the Department of Economic Affairs for the Military Governmental Headquarters of the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

from 1946 to 1947. Further study led to a master's degree in Public Law and Government which was awarded by

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1947.

Diplomacy

Lawrence was assigned to the diplomatic section of occupation headquarters in Tokyo. As it happened, he was the first American diplomat to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki officially. In 1949, he was assigned as director of the United States Information Service in Singapore and Malaya. In 1951, he was transferred temporarily to Taiwan; and he retired from government service in 1952.

Monastic Vocation

In 1954, Brother Neal was accepted into the Benedictine novitiate at Saint John's Abbey. He took vows as a Benedictine monk in 1955. During this period, Brother Neal taught in the Political Science Department of

Saint John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) ** St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus * College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and C ...

. After ordination in 1960, he was sent him to Saint Anselm's Priory and Parish in Tokyo. Father Neal served as associate pastor and pastor of St. Anselm's Parish for 33 years from 1966 to 1999. When the religious community relocated t
Trinity Monastery
at Fujimi, Father Neal went with them.

Academic service

Father Neal taught a variety of courses at Tokyo University until mandatory retirement at 60. He continued to teach at

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

Seikei University is a private university in the Kichijōji area of the city of Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. Its name derives from a passage in the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. Its campus is noted for its rows of zelkova trees, which is listed as on ...

, Sophia University and

Shirayuri Women's University is a Catholic Japanese women's university in Chōfu, Tokyo. The university comprises four Departments of Literature and a graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certif ...

until he was 75. In this period, he served as president of the Association of Foreign Teachers (1964–1971); and he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Club in Japan, a member of the Council of the America-Japan Society of Tokyo and as one of the vice presidents of the

Asiatic Society of Japan The Asiatic Society of Japan, Inc. (一般社団法人日本アジア協会” or “Ippan Shadan Hojin Nihon Ajia Kyokai”) or "ASJ" is a non-profit organization of Japanology. ASJ serves members of a general audience that have shared interests ...

. In 1975 Father Neal began to write

tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the ''Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short poem ...

poetry in English; and he published four books of tanka.

Honors

* 1993 --

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

, Golden rays with rosette. "People: Neal Henry Lawrence,"
''Christian Century'' (February 16, 1994) Vol. 111, Issue 5, p. 164. * 2002 --

, Patron's Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Service.

Select works

* 1993 -- ''Shining moments: Tanka poems in English.'' Gualala, California: AHA Books. ; * 1997 -- ''Okinawa: Battle and Regeneration.'' Tokyo: Asiatic Society of Japan
OCLC 61770857

Notes

References

* Barry, Colman, James. (1956). ''Worship and work: Saint John's Abbey and University, 1856-1956.'' Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press. ; * Eldridge, Robert D. (2004). ''The Return of the Amami Islands: the Reversion Movement and U.S.-Japan Relations.'' Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
OCLC 52948834

Neal Henry Lawrence Chronology (<特集>N.H.ロ-レンス先生退任記念号)
(Scholarly and Academic Information Navigator).

''Japan Times.'' November 5, 2004.

External links

*Asiatic Society of Japan

lecture by Lawrence {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Neal Henry 1908 births 2004 deaths Harvard College alumni Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun American male poets American diplomats College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University faculty People from Clarksville, Tennessee American Benedictines United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American poets 20th-century American male writers Catholics from Tennessee Academic staff of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Academic staff of Keio University Academic staff of Seikei University