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Ed Lambert, PhD '52
1910-1999
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Name: Edward Charles Lambert (1910-1999)
Degree and Year: PhD '52
Career: Assistant to the President in Charge of Television, Professor and Head of Broadcast Journalism
Company: Missouri School of Journalism
By Barbara (Lambert) Reichel, BS Ed '69, and Norris Reichel, BJ '63
Edward C. Lambert, PhD '52, came to the Missouri School of Journalism in 1946 as an associate professor and thus began a distinguished 34-year career at the School. His many achievements were highlighted by the founding of KOMU-TV, the only University-owned commercial television affiliate in the United States used as a training lab for students. Lambert served as the assistant to the president in charge of television, a position he assumed in 1952 after finishing his doctorate, in addition to his roles as professor and head of the broadcast journalism sequence.
Lambert was born in What Cheer, Iowa, in 1910. When Lambert was 8 years old, his father started manufacturing the Lambert and Sons Crystal Radio. The workings of the radio were set inside a green cardboard box with a small needle that served as a tuner on the outside. Resembling a box of Morton Salt, the radio was labeled with the Lambert name and sold for 15 cents. From that time, Lambert was fascinated with the airwaves and the world of broadcasting. He attended college in Wichita, Kan., and then returned to Iowa to earn both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa). After Pearl Harbor in 1941, Lambert enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Because he wanted to be involved with radio, the Navy sent him to Harvard to attend the Harvard School of Communications. He served as a lieutenant commander in communications in both the European and Pacific fronts in World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945.
In 1945, Lambert and his wife, Ella, moved to Columbia to pursue his dream of broadcasting. He taught at Stephens College, where he oversaw the student newspaper, and at the same time he worked on his doctorate under his friend and mentor, Dean Frank Luther Mott. In 1946, Lambert was named an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, where he was in charge of radio broadcasting at station KFRU, the local station where students compiled 12 sponsored daily newscasts. Lambert eventually finished his doctoral dissertation, The Future of Television, in 1952. When he was awarded his diploma, the entire audience in Brewer Fieldhouse stood and gave him a standing ovation because he was such a popular figure on campus.
Lambert was promoted to full professor and appointed assistant to the president in charge of television under University of Missouri President Frederick Middlebush. Lambert's dream was to bring television to Columbia and Central Missouri while being able to give students hands-on learning opportunities at a live television station. President Middlebush eventually supported the idea, and after applying to the Federal Communications Commission, the University received permission to operate a commercial television station in early 1953. As Lambert's brainchild and the result of his hard work, KOMU-TV went on air on Dec. 21, 1953, with programming from all four networks - NBC, CBS, ABC and Dumont. From the beginning, KOMU-TV was designed to not only serve Columbia and Central Missouri but also to train students in broadcasting operations. The students spent 10 hours a week working behind the scenes at KOMU-TV, getting practical experience in television that supplemented classroom learning. Lambert was also KOMU-TV's first general manager, and he moderated the Missouri Forum, a public affairs show that he developed and hosted for more than 20 years. The show aired on Sundays and featured such dignitaries as Missouri Gov. John Dalton and Sen. Thomas Eagleton. It also aired on many radio stations throughout Missouri.
Lambert was known affectionately by his students as "Big Ed," "Easy Ed" and "Doc Ed." He was devoted to his students and helped them attain prestigious jobs as part of the famed "Missouri Mafia." Lambert retired after 34 years of dedication and service to the School in 1980. He earned the coveted Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism in 1989, in addition to being included in volumes such as Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. Lambert also served as a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary International, and he was an honorary lifetime member of the Missouri Broadcasters Association.
Lambert died on July 25, 1999, after a long and dignified battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was 89 years old. Since his death, the KOMU-TV newsroom was dedicated in his honor, and on Jan. 4, 2004, the Radio-Television News Directors Association chapter at the School was named the Ed Lambert chapter. The Edward C. Lambert Scholarship Fund at the Missouri School of Journalism awards students for their outstanding abilities in journalism.
Lambert was a pioneer in broadcasting, and his legacy lives on today through KOMU-TV. Its call letters are a reminder of his insight, and broadcasters from all over the world have the advantage of training at KOMU-TV thanks to his dedication.
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