Banking is in Bob Lamprey’s blood – even if he didn’t want it to be.

“My father was a banker, and people always asked me if I was going to be a banker – and I always said no,” he said.

But a certain initial reluctance didn’t stop Lamprey from achieving a long and distinguished career in community banking. He joined the Framingham-Co-operative bank in 1977, becoming president in 1988. He stepped down from that role in 2008, remaining chairman of the board and chief financial officer.

Lamprey is a long-time volunteer with the United Way of the Tri Valley area – so long they had to create a new variety of membership in order to allow him to remain involved with the board after he hit his term limit. “I’m one of two ex-officio members of the board,” he said.

During his tenure with the bank, Lamprey helped found the bank’s charitable foundation, now known as the MutualOne Charitable Foundation, following Framingham Co-Op’s merger with MutualOne.

“We started it with a small contribution – about $1.5 million. And over the years, mostly through appreciated stock, we grown it to about $6 million,” Lamprey noted.

That strong base has enabled the MutualOne foundation to support a variety of worthy causes in the Tri-Valley area. “It doesn’t take long, once you have a charitable foundation, for people to find you,” Lamprey said.

“Bob has spearheaded initiatives to help the most vulnerable members of our community. His focus has been on their most critical needs, including food, medical and legal assistance, child welfare programs, and public safety,” wrote Roger Sundin in nominating Lamprey for a Community Bank Hero award.

In the hopes of further sustaining his legacy, the foundation has recently established the Robert Lamprey Community Grant, and annual award of $20,000 to benefit a low-income, less-advantaged or otherwise under-served population, with the hope that “[each] recipient will be a catalyst for positive change, as Bob has been throughout his career.”

It’s a fitting tribute to what Lamprey regards as one of the signal achievements of his long career.

“I’m proud of the fact that the foundation is there. Even if the bank were to disappear someday though a merger – which I don’t expect – the foundation would still be here. It’s a permanent gift to the community,” he said.