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LAZZELL -- Rue Lazzell, longtime resident of Albuquerque, NM, passed away June 17, 2008, at the age of 72, in North Bend, WA. He was born June 20, 1935, in Morgantown, WV. Lazzell first came to New Mexico in the 1950's as a member of the television crew of "The Today Show" hosted by Dave Garroway, to air a live broadcast from Acoma Pueblo. In 1957, he returned to the state, where he worked with KGGM television and also enrolled at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture. In the 1960's, Rue designed the monumental Georgian Revival Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on the campus of West Virginia University. During his career, as a general contractor, Rue built many commercial and multi-family projects in Albuquerque. During the 1990's, he was involved in the construction of 47 custom adobe homes in the Santa Fe area. Outside of his chosen field, some of his multitude of activities included serving as president of the Roadrunner Region of Porsche Club of America during the 1970's and acting as counselor for the Alpha Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at UNM and serving on the national housing board for SPE during the 1980's. As a family tradition, Lazzell attended Kentucky Military Institute in Louisville during part of his high school years, but graduated from Morgantown High School in 1953, and then attended West Virginia University. As a young man, he lived in Greenwich Village in NYC, and was maitre d' for "Jack Dempsey's Broadway Restaurant". During the last several years, he has been with Global Structures/Jaynes Corporation. In 2004, he received the L. Bradford Prince Award for Historic Preservation from the Historical Society of New Mexico for supervising the renovation of the century-old historic Eklund Hotel in Clayton, NM, which is on the State and National Historic Registers. Rue is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Dr. Carleen Crisp Lazzell, PhD; daughter, Ruleen Lazzell White and her husband, Dr. Scott E. White, PhD; granddaughters, Claire Renee and Sophie Irene White of Mesa, AZ; and daughter Renee Lazzell DiBello and her husband Sam DiBello of North Bend, WA, and their five children; and thirteen grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Rufus F. Lazzell, Jr.; his mother, Mildred Ray Lazzell; and his great-aunt, Blanche Lazzell (1878-1956), one of the foremost American Modernist artists. Funeral Services and Interment were at Clayton, NM, on Saturday, June 21, 2008. Memorial Service will be held at Albuquerque Country Club, Main Ballroom, 601 Laguna Blvd, SW, on Thursday, June 26, 2008, at 4 p.m. www.HassFuneralHome.com
        Published on: Sun June 22, 2008