Lamberson

John R. Lamberson passed away on September 12, 2012, at the age of 79 after a brief battle with cancer. John was active with business and personal affairs until the very end. He was inducted into the NAC in 2004 and was a tireless supporter of the organization. During the last few years, he was leading the effort to create an endowment for the NAC to put it on a more firm financial foundation.

John was born in Aurora, Missouri, in 1933 to Golda and John O. Lamberson. The family eventually settled in Alameda, California. John attended Alameda High School, graduating at age 16. He enrolled at the University of California-Berkeley, graduating in 1954. After a short stint as a grade school teacher in Palm Springs, California, and as a Grand Canyon trail guide, John entered a Fireman’s Fund training program.

Drafted into military service, John served in the United States Army. In 1956 while stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington, he met Ginger McBeath, a University of Washington student. They were married a year later in Carmel, California.

John began his surety bond career in 1958 as an underwriter for Safeco Insurance Company in Sacramento. He and Ginger welcomed their son, John, into the world that same year. In 1961, John accepted an offer from Miller & Ames, a San Francisco insurance, and surety brokerage firm specializing in the construction industry. John remained with Miller & Ames and its successor companies, Corroon & Black and Willis Corroon, for 32 years. After founding Corroon & Black’s Construction Industry Division, John relocated to New York to assume the position of president and chief operating officer, and was named to the firm’s Board of Directors. After Corroon & Black’s merger with London-based Willis Faber, he became chief executive officer of Willis Corroon’s Worldwide Retail Brokerage Group and a member of the Board of Directors.

Following his retirement from Willis Corroon, John co-founded Lamberson Koster & Company, serving as chairman. After his retirement in 1998, John founded Lamberson Consulting LLC, a management consulting firm with a focus on the construction industry. He served on numerous boards of construction firms and consulted with many others.

John’s involvement and leadership in the surety and construction industries spanned more than 50 years and resulted in numerous leadership positions and awards, including the prestigious Golden Beaver for Service and Supply in 1990 and the AGC of California Associate Award in 1994. He was a member of the Moles and elected to the National Academy of Construction in 2004.

A great believer in giving back to the communities that gave so much to him, John was a trustee of the Beavers Charitable Trust and headed up the trust’s fundraising efforts. In addition, he was named Scout of the Year by the San Francisco/Bay area chapter of the Boy Scouts of America in 2000 for exemplifying the spirit of the Boy Scout Oath. John also was instrumental in creating scholarship programs at Stanford University, the University of Washington, and his beloved University of California-Berkeley, where he was named Bear Backer of the Year in 2009 for his work with the Golden Bears athletic department.

John was truly a construction industry icon. His knowledge of the industry was vast. His relationships were national in scale and he never forgot a name―or a spouse’s name. He was a trusted advisor and very persuasive. He was a tireless worker for the benefit of his clients and the construction industry. Age did not slow him down. John’s vocation and avocation were one and the same. His customers and colleagues were also his friends. He worked incessantly, but to him, it was pure pleasure. We should all be so fortunate.

John Lamberson was a friend to us all and his energy, warmth, and contributions will be missed.

-Hugh Rice, 2012