Written by: Hannah Johnson
When former mayor Katie Lamb decided to run for a Collegedale commission seat in 2009, her biggest supporter was her husband, Edward “Ed” Lamb.
“He was my rock and was very thoughtful,” said Lamb, who won the election, which in turn led to her becoming the city’s first female mayor in 2014. “We had 62 years together, and it was a great time.”
Lamb made the comments during a Nov. 27 interview while reflecting on the recent passing of her late husband, who died July 25 at age 86. She said his death was unexpected despite some health challenges affecting his memory. At times, the grieving widow was tearful as she recounted their years together and the life they built in Collegedale both as leaders at Southern Adventist University and in the community.
“We had a good life,” said Lamb, a Texas native who moved with her husband to Collegedale in 1972 so he could work as a social work professor in Southern’s Behavioral Sciences program. “And on the day that he died, the last thing he said to me was how much he loved me and what I meant to him.”
Sixty-three years prior, Ed and Katie met at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the first time. As a nursing student, Katie was about to head to Denver, Colorado, for a clinical.
“I was with a friend, and we went across the street from campus to get a bite of breakfast before I left for Denver,” Lamb recalled in the interview with the Southern Accent. “Ed was there, and he was with some other fellows that I knew down in Texas, and Ed wanted to know who I was. He said I looked at him and smiled, and he decided that he was going to date me when I got back on campus.”
Ed Lamb, a native of Los Angeles, California, stayed true to his word, Lamb said. The couple went on their first date on the first Saturday night of the school year in September of 1960.
When Katie graduated in June, Ed needed one more semester to finish his social work degree. The couple married in August of that year. And while Ed worked to attain his degree, Katie worked in a physician’s clinic near campus.
Ed graduated in December and became an attendant at the state hospital. Soon after, the Lambs moved to Denver, where Katie worked at the AdventHealth Porter hospital, and Ed began working as a social worker for the county welfare department.
When Ed was drafted by the United States Army in the fall of 1963, the couple moved to Fort Detrick, Maryland. He joined Operation Whitecoat, described as a top-secret operation involving Seventh-day Adventist conscientious objectors who volunteered to test vaccines against biological weapons by a PBS short documentary featuring Ed.
After his service concluded, Ed obtained a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee School of Social Work in Nashville. The couple then moved back to Denver, where Ed developed the social work department at AdventHealth Porter; and then in 1972, with two small children in tow, the couple returned to Tennessee.
“It was very different moving here from Colorado because we lived in a big town in Denver,” Lamb said. “We came here, and I thought we had moved to a jungle because there was so much more greenery and trees.”
Ed Lamb began teaching in the Behavioral Sciences program at Southern Missionary College, now Southern Adventist University, and eventually became dean of the School of Social Work. He helped develop and expand the program’s curriculum, allowing him to teach a variety of classes and influence many students, according to his wife.
“Ed was a real people person,” Lamb said. “He enjoyed hearing what students wanted to do with their lives and enjoyed being their advisor and so forth. He wanted to make sure the students got a good sense of who they were and how they could reach their goals.”
An email sent to Southern faculty on behalf of the President’s Office after Ed Lamb’s passing stated: “Throughout his distinguished career, Ed’s passion for education and service led to remarkable accomplishments. He played a pivotal role in expanding the curriculum, elevating the importance of social work, and nurturing the birth of the first Christian social work program in the region. His dedication resonated with his students, colleagues, and the community, leaving an indelible mark on the field and on the lives he touched.”
The email continued to describe how Ed Lamb’s passion for travel led him to begin the New York City sociology study tour in 1976, a trip Southern students continue to take each year. He believed immersing students in the diverse city would encourage them to not only learn more about different viewpoints and cultures but appreciate them as well, according to the email.
“Over the years, students who had the privilege of traveling with Ed developed a deep appreciation and insight into cultures distinct from their own,” the email stated. “As we mark the 48th year of the NYC sociology study tour this year, we are reminded that Ed’s legacy lives on through generations of students whose lives were forever transformed by his teachings, travel insights and his profound empathy.”
After one semester of Ed Lamb working for the university, Lamb joined him. And for 33 years, she worked at Southern, serving in various capacities, including as a nursing professor, dean of the School of Nursing, associate vice president for academics and dean of graduate studies.
After retiring, Lamb decided to seek public office as a way to serve the community that she and Ed had grown to love over the years.
“I enjoyed living in Collegedale, and it’s a great place to raise a family,” the mother and grandmother is quoted as saying in a 2021 Accent article. “And so I thought, ‘Well, if I can contribute in some way, that’s what I will do.’”
After serving as mayor for eight years, Lamb was replaced by Morty Lloyd in January but continues to serve as a commissioner. She said her husband also served the community, teaching a junior Sabbath School class at Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists for about 10 to 15 years, chairing the Collegedale Academy school board for many years and serving as a member of the American Legion and a church deacon.
But Ed Lamb had a pacemaker for about 25 years, and as time progressed, his heart became weaker and weaker, Lamb said. Prior to his death, he fell and fractured the second vertebrae in his neck. He was placed in a rehab facility to regain his balance but his health continued to decline.
Lamb said she was at a meeting in Nashville when she received a call about her husband being in a lot of pain and going into the emergency room. She returned home that morning, and doctors informed her that his organs were shutting down. He was transferred to hospice soon after and died four hours later.
A memorial service was held Aug. 19 at Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists, drawing relatives, students, friends and colleagues. Lamb said she hopes the community remembers her husband for his kind, affirming qualities and how much he loved people.
“It’s probably only been in the last two or three weeks that it has really dawned on me that I’m a widow,” Lamb said reflecting on her loss. “Being near the holidays, it has brought back many pleasant memories. He loved Christmas, and this will be my first Christmas without him in 62 years.”
