Dr. Gordon Lamb only served for about a year as interim president of the University of Missouri System. But he was no caretaker. Lamb, a music educator by training, a chorale member by natural gift of song, looked like a university president out of Central Casting: Tall, silver-haired, dignified, he could have also played the part of a British lord, a U.S. senator, a Supreme Court Justice or a Navy admiral. But it would always be the good guy.Mostly he was a leader, standing up for academic freedom when right-wing appointees of then-Governor Matt Blunt balked at publicly supporting university research. Lamb angered but then shamed the right-wingers on the University of Missouri Board of Curators to approve a statement backing up research commitments. Still, Lamb caught private hell from the Republicans carrying water for anti-life sciences forces. He didn’t care. Comfortable in his academic consulting business after retiring as a university president in Illinois, Lamb was tapped as interim leader of the four campuses in St. Louis, Columbia, Kansas City and Rolla. He didn’t need the job. He was so valuable, the man hired as president asked him to stay on for a year as his right-hand man. Gordon finally retired, only to be tapped once again as an interim president at the University of Central Missouri. A robust fisherman, Gordon Lamb had been in ill health in recent months. He died Monday in Columbia. Teachers lost an advocate. Students lost a friend.

2 Responses to “DR. GORDON LAMB, DEFENDER OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM”