RICHARD S. LAWRENCERichard S. Lawrence, well-known actor and director of professional and Community Theater in and around Boston, died Mon July 7, 2003 of cancer at his home in Newton. He was 69.For over 50 years Richard was an actor, director and musician in New England, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Indiana and Washington State. As Samuel Adams, Richard was ferocious when rallying crowds against the tyranny of the British in “The Other Boston Tea Party” which toured New England in 1987. More recently, as a member of Historical, Richard enjoyed himself when Samuel Adamsappeared at a variety of conventions and meeting throughout the city of Boston. As The Town Crier, he once led a group through the streets of Copley Square ringing his bell (Here Yee, Here Yee) while the long line of visitors hummed into there kazoos. At lunchtime he could be found conducting groups of tourists throughout the Boston Waterfront explaining how different it had looked in Colonial times before so much of Boston Harbor was filled in. Richard was able to combine his love of acting with his love of music by spending his Samuel Adams rewards to finance annual trips to Austria and Hungary where he attended Hayden festivals in the actual location where Hayden had composed the music. He led the family folk singing group “The Lawrence Trio”, himself his wife and their daughter, as the sang at senior centers and nursing homes throughout the Boston area.Richard studied acting and directing at West Virginia University and spent his summers doing summer stock in Culver, Indiana, Cape May NJ and Plymouth MA. He did his stint in the Army in Tacoma, WA joining the community theater in Tacoma as a director. Moving to New York he appeared at New York City’s first Off-off Broadway coffee house theater in “Antigone”, “The Boy Friend”, and “Stage Door”, and with the Broadway Actors Guild.In 1970 after his marriage to Mary Courtney, Richard relocated to Boston where he directed and acted in a number of plays in the Boston area. He first became active with the Brookline Amateurs and then the Jamaica Plain Footlight Club, appearing on stage in “After the Rain” and “The Borrowing Version” as well as in separate productions of “The Importance of Being Earnest” with each company. He later directed a number of plays including “The Lady’s Not For Burning”, “Under Milkwood”, “My Three Angels” and two versions of “Dracula” as well as James Joyce’s “Finnegan’s Wake” which attracted the attention of the Irish Consulate. During his long career Richard appeared with the Arlington Friends of the Drama, regional theatre including Chiswick Park Theatre, Theatre in Process (which was dedicated to the discovery of playwriting talent), and Playwright’s Platform. In 1986 after forming the acting company of the Pirandello Lyceum, the veteran actor toured universities and libraries in Rhode Island and Massachusetts with his 16-year-old daughter Jenna presenting one-act plays and short stories. He was also a member of he Boston Resident Theatre Alliance.He began his 36 years federal government career on March 2, 1967 with the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1974, he joined the U.S. Dept of Health and Human services as a grants officer and in the following year began working as a Financial Management specialist in the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in the Office of human Development. He continued his work at RSA, fulfilling the office’s mission of enabling persons with disabilities to obtain employment and achieve independence, through RSA’s through RSA’s transfer to the U.S. Dept. of Education in 1980 until his death. Dick was a well-regarded financial management expert and used his expertise to sagely guide operations in State Vocational rehabilitation agencies in New England. He also was a Training Officer for programs that trained rehabilitation professionals in the region, supervised Independent Living Services programs serving persons with significant disabilities, and managed projects with Industry projects (linking persons with disabilities with employers) throughout the six New England states. In 1992 Dick was promoted to Senior Financial Management Specialist. His knowledge in the area of fiscal management was renowned throughout New England and the country as he was called upon to counsel agencies as far away as California, Alaska and Puerto Rico. Dick was also an instructor at national conferences in Washington D.C. and continued to mentor countless colleagues across the Federal and State governmental agencies right until his very last days. Though always professional and competent, dick’s colleagues remember him most for his wonderful sense of humor, his sincere kindness, vast creativity, and his unparalleled dignity.He is survived by his wife Mary (Courtney) Lawrence, and his daughter Jenna Lawrence of New York City.A memorial mass will be celebrated on Sat July 12 at Noon in Our Lady help of Christians Church, 573 Washington St. Newton.Donations in his memory may be made to the Richard Lawrence Memorial Theatre & Dance Foundation, ATTN; Margaret LaKowen, college of Creative Arts, West Virginia University P.O. Box 6111, Morgantown, WV 26506.