Lawrence Fan (Photo courtesy of SJSU Athletics)
By Matt Weiner (@MattWeiner20) – BSB Beat Reporter
Lawrence Fan’s Celebration of Life felt like the world’s greatest reunion.
Before the event took place, I was surrounded by the comforting voices of long-time friends saying hello.
“I haven’t seen you in so long,” and variations of it wrapped around CEFCU Stadium like a warm blanket.
That was the beauty of Lawrence.
He was a puppet master who brought people together through San Jose State athletics.
From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., numerous people shared memories and thoughts about Lawrence. Some of the stories showcased his work ethic throughout his 40 plus year career.
Journalist Mark Purdy and in-game host Sierra Painter shared instances of Lawrence sleeping in his car because cleaning crews kicked him out of his office. Instead of going home, he got some shut eye with a steering wheel in his lap and returned once the coast was clear.
It was in these moments where Lawrence flourished as a sports information director.
His brain vacuumed up stats and information about SJSU athletes like crumbs underneath a couch. Many speakers referred to him as a library, encyclopedia, almanac and a history book because of this vast knowledge accrued over the years.
I imagine the inner workings of his mind being as deep and plentiful as the pacific ocean, however instead of water and sea salt, it’s names and statistics from any team of any sport from his first year in 1980 up until his last day on Earth.
This work ethic intensified the grief for those around him.
Lawrence was simply always there. He worked at 511 consecutive football games and attended hundreds of other sporting events.
When I asked SJSU baseball head coach Brad Sanfilippo about his passing when the news first dropped back in February, astonishment came to mind. Sanfilippo was blown away by how he wouldn’t see Lawrence in his office anymore. Hell or highwater – Lawrence was going to be at work answering emails, putting media guides together, introducing people or offering sage advice to his coworkers.
A couple of speakers in, I began to understand the importance of Lawrence’s work ethic. However, I still didn’t fully understand it until Amy Villa took the stage.
Villa was hired in 1993 by Lawrence and still serves as the director of athletics media relations for SJSU.
“Lawrence is the reason I met my husband.”
A classic love tale about the right place at the right time, as Villa’s future husband Derek strolled into the office for a media credential and asked to be a part of the basketball stat crew.
Successful sports information directors require a certain personality type. One that is extremely humble and never looks around for a pat on the back. If it was basketball, they would rather have 20 assists than 50 points.
He was the silent hand putting big things together and was perfectly fine without being mentioned.
Similar to Red from “Shawshank Redemption,” Lawrence could “locate things from time to time,” but instead of contraband, it was contact info or a press credential.
My relationship with Lawrence was a blade of grass in a never-ending prairie compared to those in attendance who have known Lawrence his entire life.
It was a logistical relationship that lived mostly through email.
After hearing such deep and heartfelt stories told by friends, family, coworkers and anyone in between, I wondered what I would share if I was asked about Lawrence.
The one anecdote I can offer that echoes the sentiments shared by others at his Celebration of Life involves his infamous “Fan Cake.”
When I arrived at the Provident Credit Union Event Center to cover my first SJSU sporting event, I was shocked to see a piece of cake in a plastic case with a sticker of my name on top of it.
The fluffy texture and honey-sweet interior was a splendid pregame delight to keep me occupied while flipping through the media guide. More importantly, it was the first step in turning me from a stranger in San Jose to a proud resident. The stiff awkwardness of being a transfer student was lessened by each bite.
When I saw the pyramid of “Fan Cake” outside the gridiron grub before walking into the bleachers, I quickly realized how many people shared a similar warm experience.
Thousands and thousands of batches have been made since Lawrence started the tradition in the early 1980’s. The backstory is the crux of who Lawrence was to so many people.
One of the student media members, Ron Fried, wasn’t a fan of cheese, so instead of munching on pizza Lawrence brought for the media, he went to the concession stand for a hot dog or hamburger.
Lawrence felt bad that Fried had to buy his own food so he decided to grab a cookbook his parents got for him, saw the cake recipe for the cake and decided to whip up a batch.
The rest was history.
Each slice is an exercise in showing who Lawrence was; someone who would voluntarily help out others in the most unique ways while uniting others.
Thank you, Lawrence, for the “Fan Cake” and being the world’s nicest and most sincere puppet master.
Thanks for posting his brother’s thoughts to your Twitter page. Has a cause of death been disclosed?