"There's nothing like the West. It's the neighborhood that I love. I've been here all my days, since 1948. We came from Alabama. My dad came here after he left the military. I came here when I was four and been here ever since. I've been in Shawnee since 1970. When I first came here, we couldn't move in this neighborhood, now we own the neighborhood!

I don't know everybody like I used to because I'm older but everybody takes care of everybody. It's a quiet place. It's one of the few places in the city of Louisville where you can enjoy yourself. It's nice. That's why I stayed here. I wouldn't move anywhere else. Now, the wife may not agree with me but I love the West End. There's a lot of history here and a lot of good folks. 

The happiest moments of my life would be the transitions of change. Well, it was very inspiring. I bought my first house. I never owned a house. I got my first good job, the only job I had. You know, I was blessed with the changes. I know that and it comes from the man above. My parents didn't get a chance to do that. Well, they did it a little bit before they left  but they got their own. It was great for us to have our own and to be able to say that it's our own and it doesn't belong to someone else. We worked hard everyday and raised our kids. That's the joy of my life.

The biggest influence of my life was my father. He set standards. He didn't live that long but he set standards. He worked hard. He had nine kids and he provided for all of us. We didn't have everything but we had what we needed. 

Do the best that you can do. Have a little faith, as faith will help and guide you. You will get the desires of your heart. You have to keep on keeping on. Don't quit and don't let anyone turn you around. Make up your mind and then trust the Lord. 

There's no other school like Male High School. Male High School is one of a kind. It's the greatest of all time. My was 1958. There were people that tried to stop us but we just kept on pushing on. There's nothing like Male. It's all about the Bulldogs and that purple and gold. Make sure you put that in there." - Mr. Lawrence, Shawnee