Bill Lambert Award Honorees

2020 Col. Bill Lambert Award for Community Service Goes to Fran Cole


Photo Caption: Holding her 2020 Col. Bill Lambert
Award, recipient Fran Cole is pictured with Marching Presidents
founder David Parker (President Martin Van Buren).

Local attorney and community leader Fran Cole has been selected as recipient of the 31st Annual Col. William H. “Bill” Lambert Award, which is presented each year as part of Nevada City’s Constitution Day Celebration.

The prestigious Lambert Award is presented by the Famous Marching Presidents of Nevada City to recognize outstanding contributions to our community. The award is named in honor of the late Col. William H. Lambert, founder of Nevada City’s annual Constitution Day Parade.

“Fran Cole’s community service has reached nearly every level of our community,” said Marching Presidents founder and former Nevada City mayor David Parker. “”We are proud and honored to recognize her with our annual community service award.”

Cole, a 20-year local resident and partner in the Grass Valley law firm of Diamond, Baker, Mitchell and Cole LLP, has volunteered and provided legal guidance to numerous community groups, including the Famous Marching Presidents, with whom she portrays Lady Bird Johnson each year in the Nevada City Constitution Day Parade. This year’s parade has been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.

She is a longtime member and former board president of the Bear Yuba Land Trust and has served in leadership positions with Sammie’s Friends, the Nevada County Landmarks Commission, the Rüdiger Foundation, Community Beyond Violence and NCTV. She is very active with the League of Women Voters of Nevada County.

Cole graduated from the University of Vermont, completed law school at the University of Virginia and spent 11 years with Charles Schwab & Co. in San Francisco, rising to senior vice president, before moving to Nevada County. She resides on a ranch with her husband, Rocky Troth, and their eight horses.

“I’m honored to receive this award,” said Cole. “Lawyers are rarely recognized in their communities. I’m happy to lead the way.”

The Marching Presidents announce the Lambert Award each year on the eve of the annual Constitution Day Parade, in which they have marched every year since 1988. The group eagerly anticipates returning to Broad Street in 2021.

Charles Brock Honored with 2019 Col. Bill Lambert Award for Community Service

From TheUnion.com

Longtime real estate broker and community leader Charlie Brock has been selected as the recipient of the 30th annual Col. William H. “Bill” Lambert Award, which is presented each year as part of Nevada City’s Constitution Day Celebration.

According to a news release, the Lambert Award is presented by the Famous Marching Presidents to recognize outstanding contributions to our community. The award is named in honor of the late Col. William H. Lambert, founder of Nevada City’s annual Constitution Day Parade.

“We hear about people ‘giving back’ to their community,” said Marching Presidents founder and former Nevada City Mayor David Parker. “Charlie Brock is what giving back is all about. He was highly involved in community projects when I met him many years ago and he’s never looked back.

2018 Lambert Award Honoree Howard Levine