Where are they now? Mars' Lawrence Dunlap

We would like to thank Mr. Lawrence Dunlap (1972, Mars Area) for recently visiting the Career Center for a tour and sharing stories with our staff about his time at A.W. Beattie! 

Lawrence participated in the Nuclear Metallurgy program, a cross between Nuclear Science and Metal Working. He learned about things like Geiger Counters, uranium and radiation, as well as, making hammer heads from blocks of steel, sugar scoops from sheet metal, and sand casting from melted liquid metal. 

“It was the beginning of an amazing 44-year career in the Nuclear Power Industry,” Lawrence said. “It was a very long and rewarding 44-year career.” 

Lawrence earned an Associate's Degree at Penn State and was hired at the Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant in Southport, NC as an Auxiliary Operator, operating power plant equipment in the plant. He then earned Reactor Operator and Senior Reactor Operator Licenses to become a Plant Supervisor.  

Lawrence continued to advance in his career, built a Power Plant Simulator for another company and trained operators until he retired. 

“Beattie Tech taught me a new and interesting technical background in a field I came to love and turned into an excellent career,” Lawrence said. “Although the program I attended is no longer there, the school has grown a lot and has some great courses for young folks to create excellent careers from. I got an excellent tour of the school, and I was very impressed by the expansion of the school and the number of great programs offered. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the tools and equipment provided for the student to learn hands-on skills in all the fields.” 

Lawrence wanted to return to the Career Center for a tour to see how it had changed. 

“I was not disappointed, and, in fact, I was most pleased to see how far the school has come,” Lawrence said. “(I hope students) live their dream. Now is the time to find out what you want to do in life.”