[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 5, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. BENJAMIN J. LAMBERT III

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 2014

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
and legacy of my friend and former colleague in the Virginia General 
Assembly, Dr. Benjamin J. Lambert III, who passed away on Sunday, March 
2, 2014.
  Benny, as he was affectionately known by his friends, family, and 
constituents, was a pioneering figure in Virginia politics. We were 
both elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1977. In 1980, Benny 
became the first African American elected to represent the Commonwealth 
on the Democratic National Committee. In 1985, he was elected 
overwhelmingly to fill the seat vacated by then-Lieutenant Governor 
Doug Wilder. During my time serving alongside Benny, I always admired 
his ability to build strong relationships with his colleagues, work 
across the aisle, and take the tough positions that were not always 
politically popular but were the ones he believed were right for his 
constituents.
  Benny was born in Richmond on January 29, 1937 to Frances and 
Benjamin J. Lambert, Jr. He attended Henrico County Schools at a time 
when they were still racially segregated. He graduated from Virginia 
Randolph High School in Glen Allen, just outside of Richmond. He went 
on to earn his undergraduate degree from Virginia Union University, and 
his graduate degree from the Massachusetts College of Optometry. After 
graduate school, Benny returned to Richmond and practiced optometry in 
the Jackson Ward neighborhood. He was an active member of the Virginia, 
National and American optometric societies and was chosen as Virginia's 
Optometrist of the Year in 1980.
  Benny came to the Virginia General Assembly after years of political 
and civic activism, which helped him to become a very influential and 
effective legislator during his 30 year tenure. He severed on several 
committees in the General Assembly, including Education and Health, 
General Laws, Privileges and Elections, General Government, and Health 
and Human Resources. He also has the distinction of being the first 
African American in the 20th century to serve on the Virginia Senate 
Finance Committee.
  Additionally, he chaired the Subcommittees on Higher Education and 
General Government, the Brown v. Board Scholarship Commission, and the 
Lead Abatement Subcommittee. Benny also served as a member of the Joint 
Commission on Health Care, the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Election 
Process and Voting Technologies, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Memorial Commission, the Commission on State Employees Health Benefits 
Reform, and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. In 2010, Governor 
Bob McDonnell appointed him vice chair of the Commission on Government 
Reform and Restructuring.
  Outside of government, Benny had a very active civic life. He was a 
member of the NAACP, the Richmond Crusade for Voters, the Jackson Ward 
Civic Association, the Richmond Jaycees, the North Richmond YMCA, and 
he served on the board of his alma mater, Virginia Union University. 
Benny was also an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
  Benny devoted his career in and out of public service to the citizens 
of Richmond and Central Virginia, always doing what he thought was best 
for his community, regardless of the political consequences.
  Mr. Speaker, words alone cannot express the tremendous loss to the 
Richmond community and the Commonwealth of Virginia with Benny's 
passing. Benny Lambert was a humble optometrist that achieved so much 
on behalf of his community during his 77 years of life. My thoughts and 
prayers are with Benny's wife Carolyn, his children and grandchildren, 
and his many friends and admirers during this difficult time.

                          ____________________