William McCain “Will” Lampkin died Tuesday, Aug. 29 in Huntsville, Ala., at 76. He was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to the late Charles B Lampkin Jr. and the late Julia McCain Lampkin, both from Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Will grew up in Tuscaloosa, graduating from Central High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1964 from the University of Alabama, where he served as president of Tau Beta Pi and a member of Theta Tau, Alpha Sigma Mu, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Pi Mu Epsilon. He then went on to receive a master’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Alabama in 1965 and became a registered professional engineer. Will then held a fellowship in research with the U.S. Bureau of Mines from 1965-1967. During this time, he was awarded several patents to include the patent for reclaiming iron from brown iron ore in 1967.
In 1967 he entered military service in the U.S. Army and served two years of active duty from 1966-1968. During his service, he served a tour of duty in South Vietnam where he received several decoration medals for his service to include the Army Commendation Medal while serving as a First Lieutenant Officer. He later served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Upon return from Vietnam, he married Beverly Maynard March 19, 1968 and was employed at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi. While in Corpus Christi he also was a member of the Baptist Church where he served as the Training Union Director. In 1976, he earned dual master’s degrees in both Management and Business Administration from Webster University. In 1980, Will earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, while serving as a professor for Texas A&M (A&I) University. In 1982, he transferred to the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal where he served as a general engineer and then later as a supervisory engineer until his retirement in 2007. He also was a member of Magna Carta Barons, Order of Stars and Bars, Order of Washington, Gideon International and a Freemason.
Will was a longtime resident of Lincoln County, and always enjoyed being outdoors and helping others. He was a devout Christian and was a wonderful and loving husband, father and grandfather.
He is survived by his wife Beverly Lampkin of Fayetteville, daughter Elizabeth (Robert) Stough of Huntsville, Ala., and four grandchildren Mary Elizabeth, William Jackson, Josiah McCain, and Robert Elijah Stough. Also surviving are two sisters, Beatrice C. Lampkin MD of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Carolyn (Ivan) Davies MA of Fort Myers, Fla.
Visitation is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 3 from noon to 2 p.m. with funeral service immediately following at 2 p.m. located at Berryhill Funeral Home and Crematory in Huntsville, Ala. Grave site services will follow at Riverview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made to the American Heart Association, GLAD House, or a charity of your choice.