The Spirit of the Lee Generals - Its Foundation and Its Future Lee Alumni of 1964-65-66 Scholarship Essay Contest spirit (spi r' i t) n. The vital principle or animating force within living beings. The part of a human associated with the mind, will, and feelings: Though unable to join us today, they are with us in spirit. The essential nature of a person or group. Strong loyalty or dedication: team spirit. The above are some dictionary definitions of the word "spirit". In the 1960s Lee Junior High was selected to evolve into a full high school to meet the growing educational needs of Huntsville. Those needs grew primarily out of the expansion of the "Space Race" being led by the thousands of new families of personnel brought into Redstone Arsenal. The evolution was done by adding the 10th grade to Lee in 1961 and dropping the 7th grade. In 1962 the 11th grade was added and the 8th grade dropped. Finally in 1963 the 9th grade was retained and the 12th grade was added, and in 1964 those seniors were the first to graduate from Lee High School. Many of those graduates were together at Lee for six years. For three of those years, Lee was in limbo, not being a real Junior High School or a real High School. They were not allowed to participate in many activities which the other high schools enjoyed, including the traditional senior trip. There was no homecoming because there were no graduates to come home. They were not even allowed to publish a yearbook until they were determined to be a full-fledged high school. The students and faculty at Lee during this transition were tasked with creating traditions that would mold the Spirit of Lee for many years. They had to create the first Lee newspaper, the first yearbook, the first high school football team and high school band, and held the first senior prom and graduation ceremonies for those students. There were no footsteps to follow for any of those classes; they blazed the trails. The members of this group of classes dealt not only with integregation of the races, but also of nationalities, since many of the members of these classes were children of the group of German scientists, led by Dr. Werner Von Braun, brought to the United States to lead America's quest for space after the war with Germany. Throughout the years, the bonds formed by friendship during those years at Lee have not only held strong, but in many ways strengthened. Many of the classmates are better friends today than they were during their days at Lee. Many of the friends and classmates are no longer around. Those classes saw graduates that went on in life to become doctors, lawyers, nurses, musicians, politicians, rocket scientists, soldiers, sailors, and educators. Several fought in Vietnam and other wars. Many went to college and universities. Some moved off and traveled the world and some stayed in Huntsville, had families, and led very normal lives. The one thing that they each held in common was that they got their start at Lee High School. Without the foundation of education and social contact they learned as Generals, their lives would be completely different. To celebrate and educate those that are Lee Generals of the past and Lee Generals of the future, the Alumni of 1964-65-66 is establishing a $500 scholarship for a graduating senior. The scholarship will be awarded to the senior who writes the best 500-750 word essay on the subject of "The Spirit of the Lee Generals Its Foundation and Its Future". The first award will be given in the Spring of 2003. This alumni group has one of the first weekly web newspapers, The Traveller, dedicated to their classmates' lives - past, present and future. As part of the essay, the entrants are expected to review the past and current issues of this web newspaper so that they might better understand how the spirit of the Lee Generals evolved. The essays might contain facts learned about life at Lee during the founding years or perhaps what has happened to some of these classmates in the years after graduating from Lee. The inclusion of information learned about the foundations at Lee will be a vital part of the essay. The essay should also include information on the current life at Lee, and finally, on what the writer feels that his or her days at Lee will mean in his or her own future. The entrant may select the style used. All writing must be original and done solely by the entrant. The essay may be serious or humorous. The entrant must submit a double-spaced printed copy and is encouraged to also submit an electronic submission that can be imported into Microsoft Word. Papers will be judged on content and grammar. All entries must be either postmarked or electronically submitted by March 15, 2003. Entrants must agree to allow their essays to be printed in The Traveller. Announcement of the scholarship winner will be made at an appropriate awards ceremony at Lee High School. The scholarship award check will be sent to the trade school, college, or university in which the winner enrolls. It will not be awarded directly to the winner. The scholarship must be used either for the Fall 2003 or the Spring 2004 semesters or risk forfeit. In the event no paper is judged to meet the basic criteria of the essay, the scholarship committee reserves the right to not make an award until those criteria are met. This might require revisions to the original essays. Applications and further information may be obtained at http://www.leealumni.com/scholarshipapplication.html Any questions may be addressed via e-mail to members of the scholarshp committee. For More Information Contact: Tommy Towery, ttowery@memphis.edu, (901) 385-1517 |
