Shawn Lamb in the archives named for her in 2006. (Nelson Museum and Archives)

The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce Nelson’s Shawn Lamb (1938-2021) is a posthumous recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation. 

Certificates of Appreciation are awarded by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project or long service in the preservation of British Columbia’s history. 

Described as “totally unselfish, talented, generous and caring,” Lamb is honoured for a lifetime of service to the museum sector and for her dedicated work to establish the Nelson Museum Archives and Gallery, formerly Touchstones Nelson Museum. Lamb previously won Nelson’s Citizen of the Year in 1994 and received the Freedom of the City in 2009.  

The first archivist and paid staff member of the Nelson Museum, Lamb worked with wholehearted spirit and was a prolific figure in Nelson. She worked tirelessly with the public, community groups and researchers to connect them to their family’s or Nelson’s past and was an active public historian, hosting Turning Back the Clock on Shaw TV (you can watch a clip from an episode below), publishing books and regularly contributing to local newspapers. 

She maintained an active role in developing Nelson’s collection and exhibition program, culminating in the creation of the “A Visual Memoir: 25 Years at the Nelson Museum with Shawn Lamb” exhibition in 2009. The exhibit, which commemorated her quarter-century with the organization and coincided with her retirement, highlighted key stories and materials from her career.  

Her legacy lives on today through the Shawn Lamb Archives at the Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery, which were dedicated to her in 2006 and through the countless number of individuals she worked with and mentored during her career. Lamb passed away in 2021 at age 83.  

The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Princeton on July 22, where family members were on hand to receive it.

Shawn Lamb is seen on Ward Street in Nelson in 1947. (Nelson Museum and Archives)

A young Shawn Lamb. (Marjory Young album via Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn and Fran Lamb performing at Mount St. Francis extended care hospital on Sept. 9, 1977. (Courtesy Nelson Museum and Archives)

Working on restoring the 1922 Ladybird speedboat at the museum with Ken White, circa 1980s. (Courtesy Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb is seen far right along with Gerald Rotering, Jeremy Addington, David Lawson, and Corky Evans on May 2, 1994 during an exhibit on the closure of David Thompson University Centre. (Courtesy Nelson Museum and Archives)

Working on the Wingin’ It airplane exhibition at Nelson Museum in 1994. From left, Henry Stevenson, Bert Learmonth, Shawn Lamb and Judy Mulloy. (Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb and the propeller from the tug Hosmer outside the Nelson Museum, circa early 2000s. (Nelson Daily News via Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb and Dan Dalgaard, principal at Central Education Centre, gently pick through a 101-year-old time capsule in May 2009. (Chris Shepherd/The Express via Nelson Museum and Archives)

Shawn Lamb in May 2018 during her 80th birthday party at what was then Touchstones Nelson. (Nelson Museum and Archives)