Bill Lee retires after a life of service
Submitted by Tom Kranz
It’s safe to say that Bill Lee has touched thousands of lives, whether as a teacher, driving instructor or volunteer in service to the Borough of Fanwood and the African Republic of Burundi. He’s been a ubiquitous presence here since his days as a coach and phys-ed teacher, first at Terrill Middle School then at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. Teaching was his chosen profession, but one thing led to another, and he found himself teaching not only phys-ed at SPF High but driving as well.
“I got into it with a friend of mine,” Mr. Lee recalls. “He asked me one day, you want to do this? I said, I don’t know. I decided to try it and it turned out okay.”
The Lee Driving School never advertised. Yet, he was busy almost from day one teaching all ages, but mostly teenagers.
“I do have patience,” he said, offering no horror stories of being captive in a car with an inexperienced student driver. “I’ve had to slow them down, had them speed up or do one thing or the other, but it worked out well.”
In fact, it worked out well for 38 years until he and his wife Josephine decided last year it was time to retire, downsize from their house on Terrill Road and move to an apartment in Plainfield. The Lees’ adult children–Daryl, Debbie and Billy–all live within driving distance. Another son, Arnold, died in 2018.
And then there’s Fiacre, considered a son though not by blood. He was taken in by the Lees after Bill met him while coaching the Republic of Burundi national basketball team in the early 1980’s.
“My brother had contacts in Burundi and learned they were looking for a coach for their national team,” recalls Mrs. Lee. “Bill went to Africa every summer, 1981 to 86, to coach them. He took them to the Central African Games in Angola.”
During one of his trips, he met Fiacre (pronounced fee-AHK-ra), a standout player who evidently had a friend in high places.
“One of the [government] ministers asked Bill, this is a kid who’s very smart,” says Mrs. Lee. “Would you give him the opportunity that he can only get if he went to school in the United States? He asked, would you sponsor the kid and bring him home? I said yeah, we already got four, what the heck.”
With his parents’ blessing, Fiacre came to New Jersey at age 21 and stayed. He went to college, got his master’s degree, and works today as a civil engineer. The Lees call him their son, though he still keeps in touch with his African family.
A lifelong resident of Fanwood, Mr. Lee’s family settled in Kramer Manor, the area around McGinn Elementary School which was created in the 1920s for black families who faced housing discrimination elsewhere. His grandmother, Collie Lee, was one of the first to live there. Bill grew up nearby. He later moved to Terrill Road and volunteered for public service, as recalled by Mayor Colleen Mahr.
“Bill was a long-time elected Fanwood Democratic Committee member and Josephine was a friendly face for years as a poll worker during elections,” notes Mayor Mahr. “Bill also served as the mayor’s designee on our Planning Board. It has been my honor and pleasure to call Bill and Josephine friends and neighbors. I wish them both happiness and good health as they deserve an enjoyable retirement.”
Public service is in the Lee family bloodline. In addition to Mr. and Mrs. Lee’s service, son Daryl was Fanwood fire chief in 1994-95. Son Arnold was a volunteer firefighter.
The Lees praised their life in Fanwood, and they have certainly left their mark.
