George Marion Lamb

Dr. George Marion Lamb December 23, 1928 ~ September 15, 2017 Dr. George Marion Lamb, 88, of Stephenville, passed away Friday, September 15, 2017 in Stephenville. No funeral services are scheduled at this time. George Marion Lamb was born on December 23, 1928 to Ethel and Marion Lamb in Little Rock, Arkansas. Between earning a B.A. and an M.S. in Geology at Emory University, George rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant with the 82nd Airborne. On June 8, 1953 George married Joan Crooks Pauley and was hired by Standard of California. After working in Texas, Venezuela, and New Mexico for Standard Oil they moved to Boulder, Colorado where George earned a Ph.D. so that he could pursue his passion for teaching. In the summer of 1964 the family moved to Mobile, Alabama where Dr. George Lamb became the department head, which he held for 17 years, and the only faculty member at a new university-the University of South Alabama. This was the first university in the region and it opened its doors to many first generation college students who had never even considered college. George developed the department, the curriculum, and designed the labs for what became the department of Geology and Geography for a university that now has over 11,000 students. Everyone that spent any time around George Lamb soon realized he was a teacher, with an encyclopedic mind. You would learn about geology; but also about birds, mammals, reptiles; the stars, moon, and sky; creeks rivers, lakes, and oceans; how to find good food then eat it really fast; but most of all about life and observing the world around you. Even after retirement in 1992 George continued to work for the good of the University of South Alabama by serving on the Board of Directors of the University of South Alabama Foundation. In his new home in Texas George taught Geology classes at a local university and ESL classes, as well as working with kids at local elementary schools. He coached two of his granddaughters in soccer and he served on a board of a local charitable organization. He could never stop teaching and giving. George will be missed by so many for his witty, amazing, silly, sarcastic sense of humor; his generous loving heart; and his crazy adventures that took his family, friends, and students to many states and countries. George is survived by his wife, Joan Lamb; daughter, Holly Lamb and husband Dan Young; son, Will Lamb and wife Julie Newman; his grandchildren, Sarah Young, Megan Young, Benjamin Lamb, and Rachel Lamb; brothers, John Lamb and wife Shirley, and Mickey Lamb and wife Mary Addison-Lamb; many nieces and nephews; and even more students.