Joanne E. McFadden is reporting for The Greenville Pioneer William Lawrence has been named Man of the Year by the Cairo Chamber of Commerce. “He was basically what we were looking for as the man of the year candidate,” said Mike Esslie, Director of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce. “This is the culmination of the many, many decades of service as a teacher and a statesman,” Esslie said. Lawrence began his teaching career after graduating from SUNY Cortland in 1969, at Harpursville Junior High in Broome County. The next year he was hired to teach chemistry, physics, earth science, math and photography at Cairo High School. Lawrence retired from teaching in 2004. In addition to teaching, he was employed by General Electric at its research and development facility in Niskayuna, where he earned two patents for his work in ganopolysiloxane compounds. In 1979, Lawrence was elected to represent Cairo's District No. 8 in the Greene County Legislature. He says he has always focused on advocating for his constituents' needs and helping people navigate government channels to find solutions to their problems. Lawrence said he prides himself on answering the phone on the first ring as often as possible. During his tenure, he led the effort to build the county office building on Main Street in Catskill, and doggedly pursued the construction of a new county jail in Coxsackie, which is now slated to open in July. Lawrence plans to retire from public service in 2021 and dedicate more of his time to his family. In addition to his many other accomplishments Lawrence hosted "The World According to Lawrence" on WGXC-FM from 2013 to 2014. Read more in the Greenville Pioneer.