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A college reunion of a lifetime

Dunedin City Manager John Lawrence will reunite with Yale classmates in Washington. One of them is now leader of the Free World.

DUNEDIN - A little over a month ago, the invitation showed up in John Lawrence's mailbox.

The president of the United States was inviting Lawrence, Dunedin's city manager, to the White House for a cookout.

A cookout.

For the average American, such an invitation would be the chance of a lifetime: burgers and hotdogs with the commander in chief.

Not for Lawrence; for him it's a reunion. He's one of about 950 people who received the same invitation to commemorate the Yale University graduating Class of '68. The picnic is scheduled for Thursday.

About years ago, Lawrence and George W. Bush were in some of the same history classes. They went on to graduate as "the sons of wealth and the sons of poverty . . . marshaled by ambition, summoned by fate" - the class ode.

"I thought it was pretty neat that he's doing this," Lawrence said. "Our class was pretty close-knit. Most of the guys I'll see next week - the last time I saw them they were 25.

"It'll be a nice get-together, and the location is certainly superb," he said.

While the two, on occasion, shared the same classroom, Lawrence says he did not know Bush - only of him.

"He truly had quite a reputation while at Yale," Lawrence said, sitting back in his chair, arms crossed and grinning. "And well-deserved."

Bush was president of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, which was well known for its parties.

"But like all of us," Lawrence, 57, said, "he has matured and certainly has grown into the person he is now."

"We all enjoyed our time at Yale," he added. "But the majority of folks were there because it was a great opportunity."

Lawrence politely declined to discuss Bush's performance as president, saying he did not want to turn the invitation into a political matter.

"He's extending a tremendous courtesy to us, and I'm very grateful for that," Lawrence said.

Born in West Hartford, Conn., the son of a secretary and an assistant manager of a meat packing company, Lawrence did not have rich parents. The family could not afford to send him to college.

"One of the things I was grateful for is Yale has a policy that if you get accepted, they would make sure you went," Lawrence said. "So I essentially got a full scholarship."

A lot happened in 1968. The Vietnam War, for one, was in full swing.

"That really colored a lot of our experiences," Lawrence said. "Night after night there would be discussions about the Vietnam War. A lot of us thought it was misguided, and I think history would show that was true - it accomplished very little."

It was also the year the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Lyndon Johnson also announced that year he would not seek re-election.

"It was a real history-making year," recalled Lawrence. "We were very caught up in that."

Many classmates he had those late-night discussions with will pay the $150 per person to be there next week.

And while Lawrence said he is not sure what to expect from the casual gathering, the experience should be memorable for him and his 18-year-old son, Andrew, who will join him on the trip.

"The excitement for me is I haven't seen so many of my classmates for so long," Lawrence said. "We were young men when we last saw each other - I truly am looking forward to it."