A Celebration of Life Honoring Rudolph “Rudy” Lamone, 1931-2023

Rudy Lamone, who passed away on Jan. 30, 2023, was professor emeritus of management science and former Dean of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. He was founder of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, co-founder of the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers and a founding member of the National Consortium for Life Science Entrepreneurship Programs. An entrepreneur himself, he co-founded DirectGene, a biotechnology company that has developed gene therapies directed toward the treatment of metastatic prostate and breast cancers. He was a venture partner with Gabriel Venture Partners in Annapolis, Md., and Redwood Shores, Calif. In 1996, Lamone was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young for his work in support of entrepreneurship. But it was at the business school where he would be introduced to his future wife Linda, a lawyer. They were married on January 29, 1970, and eventually settled in Annapolis, Md. That same year he was named Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay by Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel. In 1998, he was selected to receive the President’s Medal at the University of Maryland. The Smith School’s dining facility, Rudy's Cafe, was also named for him. He is recognized annually in the Dingman Center’s Rudy Awards and was recently notified of his induction into the Smith School’s inaugural Hall of Fame. To say he was much-loved at the university is an understatement.