Mary Ann Lambros, a Maryland Institute College of Art administrator, died of undetermined causes Aug. 26 at the Keswick MultiCare Center. She was 82 and lived in Columbia.
“With Mary Ann, you didn’t just do things, you did things right,” said Fred Lazarus, MICA’s former president. “She had an incredible eye for detail.”
Born in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of Powell Page Armel, a Fairchild Industries senior tool designer, and Nellie Armel, who worked in aircraft assembly at the same plant.
She was a 1959 graduate of North Hagerstown High School.
After winning a scholarship to MICA, she became head of the drama club and earned a bachelor of fine arts in visual communication.
She met her future husband, Nicholas Lambros, an interior design major, at the school. They lived in a Marriottsville farmhouse before moving to Columbia.
Ms. Lambros joined the administration of MICA in the 1970s. She retired in 2014 as associate vice president of advancement, after holding numerous posts, including director of alumni relations.
“She wore so many hats at MICA. She worked in fundraising and any large event,” her daughter, Tracy Lambros, said.
“She loved organizing special events at MICA — particularly the fund-raising gala Artafare, where donors and art students would create elaborately themed rooms and dinners,” her daughter said.
She was awarded the school’s distinguished alumni award, among other honors.
Fred Lazarus, former MICA president said: “Over my whole tenure, I had the privilege of working closely with her. She was wonderful with people, very engaging. She was a great writer and said things I wish I had said.
“She was not a person who wanted much attention either,” Mr. Lazarus said. “She would let others take the bows.”
Ms. Lambros was a gourmet cook and quickly learned Greek recipes, including her signature dishes, a cheese and onion pie and cheese and tomato tarts.
“No one ever turned down an invitation to her table,” her daughter said.
“She was generous and stylish,” her daughter said. “Creativity was a lifestyle for her, and her sense of style appeared in everything that she touched. She loved art, supported the Baltimore art scene, and collected works by many of her artist friends and colleagues.”
Among the works she owned was a 1972 anti-war sculpture by MICA ceramics professor Douglas Baldwin. Titled “All Volunteer Red Neck Duck Army Following the Yellow Brick Road,” she gave the work to the Missoula (Montana) Art Museum.
She also solved the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzles and enjoyed attending theater and art exhibitions.
Survivors include a daughter, Tracy Lambros, of Columbia; two sons, Christopher Lambros, of Timonium, and Jason Lambros, of Sykesville; a sister, Betty Snyder, of San Carlos, California; a brother, Michael Armel, of Hagerstown; and five grandchildren. Her husband, an interior designer, died in 2018.
A celebration of life is being planned for the fall.
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