By all accounts the lecturer position was just an easy paycheck and resume enhanser. He never wanted to be a professor and by all accounts most of the staff at the university resented him being there ... what little time that was.
Right. Lecturer jobs are definitely not that path to a professorship. It's a 'teaching' job, frequently part-time appointment for those working in the community with no expectation that it will lead to anything more. It can be a good opportunity for someone who wants to teach part-time but it is not the road to advancement in the academy.