January 20, 2012 (Lake Placid, NY) – Following a long illness, Vern Lamb passed away on Jan. 1, 2012 with his family at his side at his home in Lake Placid, N.Y. For many Nordic skiers of a certain era Lamb was “Mr. Lake Placid.” He gave, by his many works, a voice and a face to Lake Placid that many won’t soon forget. He was one of the driving forces in bringing the 1980 Olympic Winter Games to Lake Placid, but also gave so much of himself to junior programs and the youth who wanted to give Nordic skiing a try. He always spoke with a voice of encouragement.
He helped build Lake Placid into what it is today, a thriving centre for athletic development and opportunity. In the late 1960’s and ’70’s, I skied and raced in Lake Placid often, and he was always there running races and events, and I shared a berth on the 1970 Eastern Nordic Team with his son Joe. Lamb and his wife, Winnie, devoted much time to the development of Nordic sports, and their efforts were felt around the nation – and the world. Together they always made you feel welcome. It was always special to race in Lake Placid, with the lore of the 1932 Games so much a part of the community. For many skiers it always felt like the big-time to go there.
In a wonderful tribute in nearby Plattsburgh, N.Y.’s Press-Republican newspaper, Jim McKenna, the longtime president of the Lake Placid Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it right: “He is one of the last in a generation of winter sport icons. Throughout the 1950’s, the ’60’s and most of the ’70’s, business leaders in that generation went around the world on their own dime and became officials of winter sports and learned everything they could about international competition. They were the ones who made the Olympics happen here in 1980.”
Lamb was an International Ski Federation judge for ski jumping and also a member of Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) Board of Directors. He also owned the well-known Lamb Lumber in Lake Placid, and retired in 1991. In later life, he devoted himself to photography, taking superb photographs.
Lamb was honoured for his lifetime work in ski sport by being named to the US Ski and Snowboarding Hall of Fame, and he was also inducted to Lake Placid’s Hall of Fame.
Many will remember Lamb with his Bavarian hat and pipe at the jumps and his wonderful sense of humour, for there was always a twinkle in his eye. His many friends who hold his memory dear will forever miss him, for he inspired a generation and promoted winter sports, especially Nordic sports, with great skill around the world.
He fought hard to bring the 1980 Games to Lake Placid, and in doing so, defied the odds and made global history.
Longtime friend Marty Hall recently paid tribute to Lamb, saying, “I came to Placid numerous times wearing many different hats – skier, coach of U.S. and Canadian teams, clinician, organizer with USSA in the 1960s and with the USST and USEASA, and then again in the late ’70s and early ’80s with USSA. Vern was the boss, the energy and the meeter/greeter, but in such an accommodating way – always seeing the big picture – a man who made things happen, a real builder of Nordic skiing in the U.S. and internationally. I always wondered how he did it all and kept the smile on his face.”
Lamb is survived by his wife, Winnie, sons Tracy, Tom and Joe and daughter Carol, along with nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. His legacy is huge, and so was his heart. He will be missed.