Long time alumnus Michael Lamkin passed away on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the age of 49. He was originally from Stoughton, MA and moved to Florida, where he went to college and raised his family. While at camp, he was a friend to all during the 80s and 90s. He is survived by his wife, Nicole, and children, Joshua and Emma. He was the son of Audrey and the late Fred Lamkin, and dear brother of Lee.
Lee Lamkin (Brother) – First and foremost I’ll talk about Mike as an amazing dad because that was his greatest accomplishment and thing he was most proud of. He did everything for his two kids, Josh and Emma. Mike was raised by my folks who preached family comes first and he lived by that motto. He ate hamburgers rather than steak so that his kids could have everything they needed and wanted. Instead of going out every night with coworkers for drinks and socialization, he preferred to spend time at home helping his kids with homework and acting as “dad’s taxi”. He was up every morning at 6:00 am to make lunches and help get his kids get ready for school and then drove them around to extra curricular activities until late at night. And he was proud and happy doing it. Selfless to a “T”.
Next I’ll talk about Mike as a loving husband who worked tirelessly to buy his wife whatever she asked for. They made a perfect team. He often said he felt like he failed because he couldn’t afford to buy his wife diamonds and furs and a big house, but they were both happy with whatever they had and neither complained a day in their life. They both hit the lottery finding each other and producing such a loving and caring family.
Next I’ll talk about Mike as a loving son. He often drove over two hours every chance he got to visit his mom and aid her in caring for his elderly dad who was suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. He always had a smile on his face when he arrived and gave the biggest bear hugs every time he came in the front door and never forget to say “I love you” each and every time he left the house. He texted mom and dad during every sporting event and always wanted their opinions. He invited and welcomed with open arms his parents to every FSU football game they attended and preferred to take them to every event along with his friends and was never embarrassed to be seen with the “old folks”. He was a class act in every sense of the word.
Next I’ll speak about Mike glowingly and proudly as my brother and my best friend ever. He was my rock. In every picture I’m seen with him he has his arms around me. He took care of me even though I was the big brother. I was the original Lumpy but he was the true Lumpy who carried on the name and legacy better than I ever could have. He was friendlier, smarter, stronger, prouder, more outgoing, and better than I could ever be. He had more friends than I’ve ever met. Again I’m so proud to have called Mike not my brother but my absolute best friend who would sacrifice his life for me. I cannot overstate how blessed I was for knowing and loving him for 49 wonderful years. I desperately crave more years with him and will forever have a hole in my heart and my soul knowing I will never have the chance to laugh and hug him again. I will never recover.
Finally I will talk about Mike as a teacher, mentor, and father figure to so many kids lives he impacted. This was evident by the hundreds of students who showed up to pay their respects at his funeral. Every single one of them said the same thing to me, “he was not only the best, fairest, friendliest, happiest teacher they’ve ever had, but he was a mentor who taught them life lessons and gave them confidence” that they could achieve more than they imagined. I personally have never had or met a teacher that cared so deeply about his students and their education and future. Their well being was his top priority during school and their future advancement meant the world to him.
Hundreds of hearts that beat as one! When you’re one of the boys you’re always one of the boys.
RIP to the greatest most loving and fun person I’ve ever known and loved. Anybody who ever met him says the same thing – always had a smile on his face and always positive. His outlook on life was contagious.
Bill Margolin (Executive Director) – Many years ago I got a phone call from Fred Lamkin, Michael’s father. Fred was a long time member of the West End House and I knew him, but not that well at that time. He said he wanted to arrange for Michael to attend camp, to which I expressed my delight. I took down the usual information–name, address, phone number (no email in those days) and number of weeks to attend. Finally, I asked the big question, how old was he? Fred answered, “Two years old.” I realized it was a joke and said, “Call me back in about 6 years!” He did, and that was the beginning of a great relationship with Michael.
Michael became a very valuable member of the staff. One year he was looking for a teaching position and if he didn’t find one he would run the risk of finding a full time job which would negate his chance of returning to camp the following summer. One of our former counselors was a teacher in Somerville and was thinking of leaving that position to move away. To make a long story short, we arranged a switch for Michael to take over this guy’s position and thus his summer was free to return to camp!
Somewhere, I believe at camp itself, is a button with a photo of Michael smiling broadly. He gave it to me one time after attending a local carnival.
Ryan Wilensky (Camp Director) – We heard the sudden and shocking news that our West End House Camp brother Mike Lamkin passed away. I informed as many people as I could think of who were tight with “Lumpy”, which were countless. The constant themes that people said about Lumpy were “nicest guy ever”, “was never in a bad mood”, “impossible not to love him.”
This is my favorite Lumpy story, which I tell often. We were at dinner at the Whittier House in Ossipee near Pizza Barn (on a night off) and Lumpy ordered chocolate ice cream for dessert. The waitress made an error and I believe brought him coffee ice cream. She said, “I’m sorry, you can eat this one on me.” Lumpy, without any hesitation, replied “if it’s ok with you, I’d rather eat it in the bowl.” We were crying laughing.
Lumpy was the OG of the Stoughton Crew. All of us Stoughton guys can trace our camp lineage to Lumpy. That includes me and my brothers, Business Operations Director Stephen Dancey, and our entire neighborhood. Years ago I made a Stoughton tree to properly show the importance of the Lamkin family at camp. We were 1/6 of camp at one point and had 10 High Senior Captains.
Lumpy was on my coaching staff for the 1998 Color War, on the “Diesel.” I remember demanding Lumpy be on my team. Such a knowledgeable and fun guy. An amazing “hang.” Kids absolutely adored Lumpy. I remember we had a game plan in the camper color war draft where we found a major flaw. I had discussed it often and when the draft came, I was about to change my mind. Lumpy jumped in and set me straight. “Ryan, you have had this plan for weeks, trust yourself and do what we planned on.” I stuck to the plan and we drafted possibly the most dominant division in Color War history (I just looked back, with the exception of swim + track, the White Middle Seniors literally won every single point in Color War except being on the losing side of the Omelette game). Thank goodness, because the rest of our team wasn’t very good and we lost a close war. But without Lumpy’s wisdom we would have gotten crushed. Lumpy just had a great way to make people better and more confident.
Old Timers’ Week was never doable for Lumpy, being a Florida teacher and starting school so early. While I wasn’t able to see him in years, I recently got a kick out of his never ending disgust for his ‘Noles’ getting robbed from the college football playoff. Lumpy was always passionate about his teams. I’m sure he was enjoying this magical Celtics season so far.
Much love out there to the Lamkin family. Deepest condolences from myself and all the West Enders I spoke to. You will be missed buddy and are “Always One of the Boys.” We Stoughton guys have him to thank for our all being at West End. Rest in Peace Lumpy.
Steve Dancey (Business Operations Director) – Thank you Lumpy! The Stoughton Dynasty Ryan mentioned is responsible for me and my brothers, our cousin, and now my two sons experiencing the brotherhood and lifelong friendships of WEHC. There is no organization in my life that comes close to having the impact that West End has had.
And Lumpy was a consistent part of that experience, as he was at camp before, during, and after my 10 years as a camper and counselor.
Of many memories, one sticks out to me, and, no surprise, it involves coaching basketball. Lumpy was insistent that Aaron Englander work to position his feet in shooting position as he caught a pass, so he didn’t need to take the extra time and movement to catch the pass, then move his feet into shooting position. It was a minor detail, and would marginally improve the technique of an already skilled shooter, but Lumpy knew it was the right improvement for Aaron’s game, and he stuck with it.
Another time, Lumpy accurately and pointedly told me I was not a basketball player, but an athlete who was playing basketball. It stung, but he was right. We will miss his friendship, coaching, and caring attitude. RIP brother.
Mike Santosuosso – Mike and I began our camp careers together in 1983 as bunk mates in cabin 5A. Lumpy, as he was nicknamed, was a kind hearted kid with a raspy voice and a passion for sports. He would go on to be a recipient of the coveted James J. Storrow (Lipton) award for exemplifying all the qualities and attributes of what a true West End House Camper was.
I was heartbroken when I learned of Mike’s sudden passing last week, though I was blessed to have spent 15 summers with him. I know someday we’ll all be together again. Maybe Sonny reopened the Hu Ke Lau up there and we‘ll convince Lustig to take us all for a night out in the blue van. In the meantime, rest easy brother, we love you.
When you’re one of the boys, you’re always one of the boys!
Michael Gordon – In the summer of 1997 I was a 1st year C.I.T. Back then, 1st year C.I.T.s worked kitchen duty, a tough job in the summer heat. One night, our senior counselors Mike Santosuosso and Mike “Lumpy” Lamkin thought we deserved a rare night out, so a crew of us piled into the van and headed to North Conway, NH. After mini-golf we ended up at a restaurant where there happened to be a local comedian performing stand-up comedy, and I am using the term “comedy” loosely. This guy, whom I will not name (Bucky Lewis), was so brutally unfunny that eventually we all started laughing at how bad he was bombing. Each bad joke became more and more hilarious to us, and Lumpy was absolutely eating it up. Lumpy spent the entire hour-long drive back to camp workshopping his impression of the comedian, and he had the whole van in tears. But it didn’t end there. Lumpy spent the rest of the summer doing renditions of the routine, to the point where even folks who weren’t there that night were cracking up. Twenty-seven years later, I can barely remember what that comedian looked like or sounded like, but I can hear Lumpy’s loud impressions and see him relishing the chance to make us all laugh with the same jokes over and over again for 8 weeks. Lumpy was always dearly missed during Old Timer’s Week, and I’d be willing to bet if I saw him right now, he could do this comedian’s impression spot-on and have me in tears. R.I.P. Lump. We will miss you brother.
Jason Kublin – Humility & rolling with the punches. Two very important qualities.
As a kid growing up, I was a good athlete. I certainly was not the most humble and I definitely did not know how to roll with the punches whenever defeat or an obstacle came in my way.
Enter Lumpy. I really started to become close with him as a first year C.I.T. An important time in a young teenager’s life. You’re in the beginning stages of high school and really starting to form into a young adult.
I was lucky enough that he chose me to be in his cabin. And even more lucky I got interact with him on a daily basis. He constantly was in a good mood and was always quick to come back with some type of witty response. No matter the situation, he always kept a positive attitude. As an impressionable 14-15 year old teenager, it was a great life lesson to witness up close time and again.
As our friendship grew, so did our mutual love of basketball. Lumpy knew the game, studied the game, and we could talk for hours about it. It was easy to tell he was destined to be a hoop lifer. Anyone who went to West End in the late 90’s/early 2000’s can remember two distinct play designs. “Lumpy” and “Double Lumpy.” They became the go-to play calls for 15-under hoop teams whenever a bucket or 3 pointer was needed. Play designs so good, with a high success rate, that they rightfully were named after him.
Selflessly, Lumpy would constantly put me through basketball workouts in the Rec Hall. While I would want to work on “harder” aspects of the game, Lumpy always reminded me we had to perfect the simple parts before crafting the harder parts. He pushed me, never letting me slack or take a day off. It still brings a smile to my face that one particular Visiting Day we did 20 minutes of drills with my parents watching on chairs in the rec hall. Not only was it a great lesson in terms of the work it took to get better at basketball, but a great lesson in life that you need to work hard and you can’t rush through the process.
As his time at camp ended, Lumpy moved to my hometown of Canton. As my luck continued, he was hired to be on staff for the Canton High Basketball team. Looking back, it’s amazing the time and effort he gave to our team. I remember plenty of days he’d come by the house and we would watch tape of prior games. And Lumpy didn’t sugarcoat anything with me. If I sucked, he told me. If I needed to adjust or do something different that he happened to see on film, he’d let me know. Even though outside of my family I knew he was my biggest fan and wanted me to succeed, he wasn’t afraid to let me know that I wasn’t that great. As someone that I trusted and respected, it taught me to stay humble.
As the years went by, Lumpy moved to Florida and started a family. We did our best to keep tabs on each other. Through social media we were able to keep up to date on the happenings in our lives and would exchange occasional messages. In typical Lumpy fashion, whenever he saw a picture and a chance in his mind to roast me he would always leave a witty comment or send a funny message.
In closing, I have so many more Lumpy stories that I could share. We had a lot of great times together. He was a big part of my life and memories at West End. I still can’t believe that he’s no longer with us. The one solace I have is knowing there are hundreds, if not thousands of students that Lumpy taught and coached over the years. There is no doubt he had a positive impact on each of their lives the same way he did for me. He was a great mentor, coach, and friend. Everyone that came across him loved him. Everyone that knew him was a better person for it. That’s one heck of a legacy to leave. I’ll miss you Lumpy and I’ll be forever grateful for the time we shared and the impact you had in my life.
Michael Kunnerth – Lumpy was the best. He made my first few years at West End awesome. To be honest, I am not sure I would have stayed that first year without him. My two-week planned stay turned into eight full weeks and then 6 years. That, in part, was because of him. He was one of the great West End counselors of the mid 1990’s. I would not realize the impression that he left on me and my bunkmates until later in life. I came to West End that first year in need of direction, friendship, and honest but compassionate criticism. From Lumpy, I received all three. He helped me build friendships when I did not know how. He taught me lifelong values that I needed to learn. He did it in a way that got through to me when others could not. He met me where I was and treated me with respect. To say that Mike Lamkin changed my life for the better would not do it justice. I just hope he knew what he meant to so many of us. I wish I could tell him.
Gui Stampur – Lumpy was one of a kind. I was never lucky enough to be in his bunk but I always wanted to be. He was the kind of person everybody at camp wanted to be around – always had a smile on his face and had a way of bringing joy to other counselors and campers alike.
His smile, love for life, passion for basketball, and ability to connect with every single person at Camp are things I will never forget.
His passion for basketball was contagious. I especially loved watching he and David Gorin battle it out on the House basketball court and then giggle like little kids about it together post-game.
He truly had a way of connecting with kids from all walks of life at WEHC and embraced everybody regardless of where they came from, even us New Yorkers.
Lumpy will forever be missed, but never forgotten.
Evan Madden-Peister – When I think about my time at West End House, I remember the games, the competition, the Inter-camp rivalry and all of the laughs. But what really stands out was the camaraderie, the friendships, the togetherness – the Spirit of the House.
No one represented that Spirit more so than Lumpy. He was always there with a smile, a joke, a general positive energy that made the day a West End House day. He loved the games, especially hoops, but it was his good spirited nature that won out.
I’m fortunate to have spent that time, in that place, with Lumpy, and I know he left that mark on all of us who shared our time at WEHC with him and with others he shared his time with in his life beyond the House.
When you’re one of the boys, you’re always one of the boys Lumpy. Thanks, always, for the smiles, the friendship, and for the Spirit of the House.
Lyle Friess – Lumpy is truly a West End House legend. Just a really good guy with an easy and contagious smile. If the Spirit of The House truly never dies then Lumpy is with us forever. Rip rip rip rap rap rap Lumpy.
