Notice regarding Professor Ann Thomas Lambert
Provost Peggy Agouris sent the following message to the campus community Oct. 20, 2020. - Ed.
Dear Colleagues,
Ann Thomas Lambert ("Tommie" to her family and friends), Professor of Kinesiology, Emerita, passed away peacefully on October 13, 2020 at Riverside Doctor’s Hospital. Tommie was born on June 19, 1940, in Greensboro, NC and spent most of her young life in Raleigh, NC. After receiving her Master of Science degree in physical education from Woman's College (UNCG) in the spring of 1968, she taught at Cortland University in New York for the academic year 1968-69.
In the fall of 1969 she was contacted by the chair of the William & Mary Physical Education Department to discuss her interest in joining W&M as a physical education instructor and coach of the women's golf team. Tommie accepted the offer and remained at William & Mary for the next 33 years, retiring in 2002. During her tenure at William & Mary, she proudly led her golf team to capture the 1981 AIAW Women's National Golf Championship title. In 1994 both Tommie and her talented team were inducted into the W&M Hall of Fame.
Remembering Tommie:
From Barb Wetters, former coach and longtime athletics administrator: Ann "Tommie" Lambert was a one of a kind. Direct and engaging, she could have a 10-minute conversation with a stranger and walk away knowing that individuals life history. It was amazing. She was a dedicated teacher and coach that truly valued the student experience. From teaching a student to swim for the first time, helping another to pass the first aid exam, to strapping a crab pot on the top of the golf van for a road trip …there was always a chance for the unexpected. She was mentor and friend that will be greatly missed.
From Tracy Leinbach ’81, member of the Golf Team and W&M Athletics Hall of Fame: Coach Lambert’s work exemplified athletics at William & Mary. Her focus was always on the whole person. She encouraged us to be better in academics, golf and all other aspects of our collegiate lives. Winning the National Championship in 1981 and being inducted into the W&M Hall of Fame are but highlights to a lifetime dedicated to teaching and coaching. She impacted so many lives. I will always cherish my time on the W&M golf team and be grateful to Coach Lambert. To be remembered decades later with such fondness by those you coached means you left a mark. She ably paired the guidance and coaching with the camaraderie of sport.
Tommie was preceded in death by her parents Dave and Mary Lambert. She is survived by her sister, Joy Hartzog; nieces, Valerie Thorn, Sharon and her husband Brian Craig, Mary and her husband, Mark Bozymski; her nephew, Chip Hartzog; six great-nieces and one great-nephew; and her three favorite cousins, Benjie, Lindsay, and Jim Hester. Graveside and burial services will be held at Montlawn Cemetery in Raleigh, NC.
Tommie will be remembered and sorely missed by her family and her many, many friends. Condolences may be shared at www.nelsenwilliamsburg.com
Sincerely,
Peggy
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Peggy Agouris
Provost
