Oliver LEE

Family-Placed Death Notice

LEE, Oliver OLIVER LEE A service of celebration for the life of Mr. Oliver Lee will be held on Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:00AM at West Mitchell CME Church, 560 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., NW, Rev. Manuel Henderson, Pastor with Rev. Christopher M. Waller, pastor of Butler Street CME Church, officiating. Interment, Westview Cemetery. The remains will be placed in state at West Mitchell CME Church at 10:00AM. The family will receive friends on Sunday, February 17, 2013 (THIS AFTERNOON) at Butler Street CME Church, 23 Jesse Hill Jr. Dr., SE from 4:00-6:00PM. Family and friends will assemble on Monday, February 18, 2013 10:30AM at West Mitchell CME Church. Oliver Lee was born July 29, 1950 in Savannah, Georgia to the late Gus and Ruth Frazier Lee, the first son of this union. He attended elementary and junior high school in the segregated public schools of Savannah Georgia. In 1965, near the end of his ninth grade high school year, he was selected for A Better Chance (ABC), a program inviting talented low-income youth to attend elite private schools to help them gain entry to the middle class. In a 1994 newspaper article in The Wall Street Journal, Oliver said the program "lifted his horizons" as he attended Cheshire Academy, a prep school near New Haven, Connecticut where he was one of only three blacks in his class. He graduated from Cheshire with honors in 1968 and enrolled in Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, receiving the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972. Following his graduation from Dartmouth, Oliver attended the Vanderbilt University School of Law, Nashville, Tennessee and earned the Juris Doctorate Degree in 1975. He was very proud that in 1979 he was "duly admitted and qualified as an Attorney and Counsellor of the Supreme Court of the United States." Oliver began his career as a Corporate and Securities lawyer. He was a Trial Attorney for six years with the Securities and Exchange Commission in both the Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia offices before moving into private law firm practice specializing in Securities Law. He worked in this area for more than twenty years and was a partner with several Atlanta law firms, including Hurt, Richardson, Garner, Todd & Cadenhead, Long, Aldridge & Norman, and Troutman Sanders. He was a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, and the Atlanta Bar Association where he was former chairman of the Minority Clerkship Committee and former member of the Board of Directors. He was also a past president of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Securities Professionals and a member of the Georgia Utilities Contractors Association. His strong interest in entrepreneurship led to his involvement as founding partner, co-partner, or major shareholder in several businesses and developments, including Integral Municipal Services, National Concessions Management LLC, ScanTech Holdings, SIPCO LLC, and a host of other technological and real estate ventures. He was passionate about business development, loved the work of crafting successful corporate projects, and worked hard to pass that enthusiasm and work ethic on to his children. Oliver was also an active member of the community and was highly involved with several associations and boards. He was passionate about his service and once said, "I feel we all have an obligation to give back to the community in some way. There is a great sense of satisfaction knowing you can impact other people's lives by being involved in this kind of service." He worked closely with the Butler Street CME Church where his family holds membership. He was a member of the 1990 Class of Leadership Atlanta, past president of the Pace Academy Parents Club, past trustee with the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, past chairman of the South DeKalb YMCA, former member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee Metropolitan YMCA. His work in the healthcare arena was of special importance to him. He began his tenure on the DeKalb County Hospital Authority Board of Directors in 1988 and in 1995 joined both the DeKalb Regional Healthcare System Board of Directors and the DeKalb Medical Center Board of Directors. He was a Trustee with Promina Healthcare Systems from 1997-2005 and was appointed Chairman of the DeKalb Regional Healthcare System Board of Directors in 2007. He remained highly involved in both his business and community work until his passing on February 13, 2013. Though he moved easily between courtrooms and boardrooms, Oliver was most at home on the sidelines or in the stands at a soccer field or basketball gym. His favorite pastime was coaching his children and watching them play. He was Kristen, Jason and Jonathan's first coach and always their biggest fan and cheerleader. His ardent and very vocal support made him well known by referees at the YMCAs, high schools and elite leagues where his children played. And they, in turn, admired his athletic talents. No one cheered louder as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Atlanta Braves before one 2008 game. A doting father and grandfather, a friend, confidante and mentor to many, Oliver was always willing to lend a helping hand and offer advice, encouragement and support with patience, wisdom and love. His love for his family and friends was ever faithful, ever giving, every present and everlasting. He will be greatly missed and forever cherished. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife of 39 years, Gloria Harper Lee; daughter Kristen Lee Barnett (Keith); sons, Jason Oliver Lee and Jonathan Harper Lee; his beloved granddaughter, Kennedy Estelle Barnett all of Atlanta, Georgia; brothers Larry Lee (Ayanna) of Chester, South Carolina and Alvin Leroy Lee of Savannah, Georgia; sisters Granelle Lee, Idella Lee Cooper (Ronald), Gussie Marie Lawrence (Donovan) all of Savannah, Georgia and Ruby Strong (George) of Pompano Beach, Florida; uncles Rev. Richard Frazier (Carolyn) of Rome, Georgia and Allen Frazier of Ellicott, Maryland; aunts, Martha Martin of New York, New York, Katie Bing of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Gladys Frazier of Hilton Head, South Carolina; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other family members, dear friends and colleagues. His sister Ruby Jenkins preceded him in death. Driven by innovation, determination and love for our community, DeKalb Medical is advancing medicine through its comprehensive cancer program. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Oliver Lee to the DeKalb Medical Foundation, 2701 North Decatur Road, Decatur, GA 30033, foundation@dekalbmedical.org. Carl M. Williams Funeral Dirs., Inc., 492 Larkin St, SW, 404-522-8454, www.carlmwilliams.com