Today is Dedication Day for the Lambert Pavilion. The pavilion (that’s it in the photo on the right) is located in Purgatory Creek Park. This park is just part of the legacy left in Eden Prairie by former Director of Parks & Recreation Bob Lambert. The pavilion was named in his honor by the City Council to recognize his 29 years of service to the community.
By any measure, Bob Lambert was a great man. I shouldn’t say “was” because Bob is still very much alive and living happily with his family on the farm outside of St. Peter. Bob was a veteran of the Vietnam War. He would not like it if you (or me) called him a war hero, but suffice it to say that as a helicopter pilot, he flew many soldiers out of hostile areas to safety. He had the most interesting stories from that conflict as well.
After a short time with the city of Cottage Grove, Bob came here in 1978 and never looked back. He came to Eden Prairie just ahead of the growth surge of the 1980’s. He knew what Eden Prairie was going to become, and he wanted to make sure that a great city had a great to park system to go with it. Much of what you see in Eden Prairie’s park, open spaces and recreational facilities are the results of Bob’s vision and his ability to inspire the confidence of the Park Board Members, City Council Members and City Managers that he worked with for those 29 years.
I had the pleasure of working with Bob from 2002 to 2007. It was an honor to work with him. It truly was. I’m looking forward to seeing him again tonight to recognize his work to help place his name into the permanent record of Eden Prairie’s history.
He deserves it.
