Established on 06.10.2025 by the J. Stephen Lawrence, Jr. Revocable Trust
Joyce Sethre grew up on her family’s farm and ranch near Wolf Point, Montana, where her parents farmed wheat and raised cattle. Joyce described her parents as “strong Lutherans,” and, as such, she attended Concordia College, where she double majored in English and history, graduating with a B.A. in 1969.
Upon graduation, Joyce taught high-school English in Oregon but then moved to Denver, Colorado, where she earned a master’s degree in library science from the University of Denver. After working as a public-school librarian both in Oregon and later Washington, D.C., Joyce then began her career as a law librarian with Pepper, Hamilton, and Scheetz, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that specialized in representing organizations (primarily higher education institutions) that had contracts with the United States federal government.
It was during this time that Joyce met her husband, J. Stephen Lawrence, and they were married in 1988. During her career, Joyce served as the president of the National Association of Private Law Librarians. She retired in 1990 to care for her mother, and, in retirement, enjoyed pursuing her hobbies of reading and genealogy.
The Joyce (Sethre) Lawrence '69 Endowed Scholarship is awarded by the Office of Financial Aid to one or more students of any class or major who demonstrate financial need.