Lawrence Crooks was born Fubruary 29, 1924, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Lawrence married Jean on August 8, 1947, and had two children: James Lawrence and Kathryn Jean.

Crooks was enlisted in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945 as a combat engineer battalion in the European Theater, First and Third Armies and served during the Battle of the Bulge.

Crooks obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from thr University of California located in Berkeley, California.