Tuskegee Airman, Olympic Gold Medalist, Civil Rights Activist - Norvel LaFallette Ray Lee was born 22 Sep 1924 in Eagle Rock, Virginia to James Jackson Lee and Georgiana A Ray. He lived in a segregated community under Jim Crow laws. His mother placed a high expectation on her children to receive an education and to involve themselves in their community. Norvel never missed a day of school! After high school he was selected for flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield. He served in the South Pacific during WWII. He then went on to study engineering at Howard University where he became involved with intramural boxing. He was arrested in 1948 for sitting in the white section of a segregated train in Virginia. He was fined and appealed twice, ultimately at the Virginia State Supreme Court where the lower court's decision was overturned. This became a landmark civil rights decision. He went on to become the National AAU heavyweight champion in 1950 and 1951 and was on the 1952 U.S. Olympic team in Helsinki, Finland where he was one of 40 Americans to bring home a Gold Medal, making him the first black Virginian to win gold. He declined an offer to go pro and instead became a teacher, married Leslie Jackson and became a father to two daughters, Deborah and Denise.
Tuskegee Airman, Olympic Gold Medalist, Civil Rights Activist - Norvel LaFallette Ray Lee was born 22 Sep 1924 in Eagle Rock, Virginia to James Jackson Lee and Georgiana A Ray. He lived in a segregated community under Jim Crow laws. His mother placed a high expectation on her children to receive an education and to involve themselves in their community. Norvel never missed a day of school! After high school he was selected for flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield. He served in the South Pacific during WWII. He then went on to study engineering at Howard University where he became involved with intramural boxing. He was arrested in 1948 for sitting in the white section of a segregated train in Virginia. He was fined and appealed twice, ultimately at the Virginia State Supreme Court where the lower court's decision was overturned. This became a landmark civil rights decision. He went on to become the National AAU heavyweight champion in 1950 and 1951 and was on the 1952 U.S. Olympic team in Helsinki, Finland where he was one of 40 Americans to bring home a Gold Medal, making him the first black Virginian to win gold. He declined an offer to go pro and instead became a teacher, married Leslie Jackson and became a father to two daughters, Deborah and Denise.
Bio by: Dale Levine
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