Deceased July 2, 2015
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50th Reunion Book Entry
In Memory
Chuck Lambert, who was with the class of 1953 for three semesters, died July 2 as a result of a massive stroke suffered outside his home in Goshen, Ky. Chuck was 84.
After leaving Amherst, Chuck served for nearly four years in the U.S, Navy as an electronics specialist during the Korean War, including assignment to a port in Morocco.
He came to the college from Hebron Academy and completed his education at the University of Louisville, where he earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees.
Chuck’s working career was in leadership positions with the family business, Clayton & Lambert Mfg. Co., founded in the 19th century for the manufacture of blow torches. Today it makes steel products, including roofing, swimming pools and farm and industrial storage tanks. Chuck was president for 20 years and, more recently, chairman of the board.
He was an active member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Louisville, serving as an elder and as superintendent of the Sunday school.
Chuck’s survivors include his wife of 59 years, Karen; five sons; and nine grandchildren. Two sons, Charles III and John, continue the family business, representing the fifth generation of Lamberts with the firm.
The obituary in the Louisville Courier Journal contained this salute to Chuck: “Always learning and tinkering, Chuck held a number of U.S. patents on his inventions, all designed with the sincere intent to make the world a better place. His intellectual curiosity and appetite to learn were strong influences on all of his sons and many others. He was first and foremost a family man, great husband and wonderful father.”
George Gates ’53