Dave Lawson was born in Central Pennsylvania, the tenth of eleven children. In the late 1960’s, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving a tour of duty in the Vietnam War. Upon his return to the States, Dave was stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. Honorably discharged in 1969, Dave secured a position as a police officer in Milford, Delaware, where he served the City of Milford for 4 years. In 1973, he joined the Delaware State Police. He married and raised two of his children, Darren and Mindy, in Harrington, Delaware. Active as a volunteer in many community groups, Dave served both the young people of his community as a manager, coach and president of the Harrington Little League and also the community as a whole through his work as a Volunteer Firefighter with the Harrington Fire Company.