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Lawrence was born on 4 Apr 1930 in Waterboro, Maine,[1] the son of Joseph Frank Whitten and Flora Maude Benson Whitten.[2] In 1935 and in 1940, Lawrence lived in Waterboro with his parents and three older brothers.[2] His father, Frank, worked as an edger/cutter at a lumber mill and his mother worked full-time outside the home as kitchen help. Lawrence graduated from Waterboro's Massabesic High School in 1948, where he was an honor student[3] and worked at Lewis Paint Company in nearby Sanford, Maine.[4] He was the first person in his immediate family to complete high school.[2] After high school, he attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering.[3]
Lawrence lived in Lyman, Maine in 1951, 35 miles from the main campus of the University of New Hampshire, and was living there when he married Elizabeth L. Thyng of West Kennebunk, Maine on 1 Sep 1951.[5] Over the next 12 years, the couple had two daughters - Ann R. and Sharon L. Whitten. Lawrence was active in community and church affairs, was an avid fisherman, and an amateur flyer. After university, Lawrence became associated with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where he served as an electronic engineer in the Sonar Section of the Combat Systems Division.[3]
On the morning of 9 Apr 1963, Lawrence was one of 17 civilians onboard the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Thresher, departing from Kittery, Maine for post-overhaul dive trials. After garbled communications from the boat on 10 Apr 1963, the submarine was lost with all 129 aboard.[6]
The USS Thresher website[3] indicates graduation from Waterboro High School, but the U. S. Yearbooks Name Index[4] indicates he actually graduated from Massabesic High School, which is the correct name for the Waterboro, Maine high school.[7]
DK Clews - created WikiTree profiles in Oct 2020 for most of the crew of the USS Thresher, with accompanying research.
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Lawrence is 27 degrees from Herbert Adair, 24 degrees from Richard Adams, 23 degrees from Mel Blanc, 26 degrees from Dick Bruna, 24 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 33 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 24 degrees from Sam Edwards, 22 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 25 degrees from Marty Krofft, 20 degrees from Junius Matthews, 17 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 25 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
W > Whitten > Lawrence Eugene Whitten
Categories: York County, Maine | University of New Hampshire | Electrical Engineers | USS Thresher (SSN-593), United States Navy | USS Thresher Disaster, 10 Apr 1963
This profile is terrific. It's really top notch in every way. A beautiful tribute to the man.
Someday when I have time I should connect up his ancestors and see how we relate.
Chris