E. Desmond “Des” Lee is one St. Louis businessman whose name will survive him, as he used his wealth to fund many namesake facilities, programs and scholarships.
Lee, who made his fortune as co-founder of the manufacturing company Lee-Rowan Co., died January 12 at the age of 92.
“Ask yourself: What I should be doing that Des would want me to do?” Steffanie H. Rockette told a large crowd that gathered recently at the University of Missouri-St. Louis to remember him.
Rockette is director of the Des Lee Collaborative Vision at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, perhaps the most ambitious of the many programs and projects Lee founded and named.
The project, founded by Lee and UMSL Chancellor Emeritus Blanche M. Touhill in 1996, is subtitled “Connecting St. Louis through Educational and Community Partnerships.”
It includes 37 endowed professorships in fields ranging from education, music, museum studies, art, science and public policy, including four positions at Washington University, one at Webster University and one at Saint Louis University.
“His was a gift of unlimited curiosity, generosity and respect for other people,” said Patricia G. Parker.
As E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor in Zoological Studies at UMSL, Parker holds one of the 37 endowed positions.
The Collaborative Vision also involve collaborations with the Missouri Historical Society, Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis Art Museum, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Symphony and the Saint Louis Zoo.
“He was never a one-size-fits-all type of guy,” Robert Archibald, president of the Missouri Historical Society, said of Lee
“He cultivated personal relationships with every one of his organizations under the umbrella of his Collaborative Vision.”
A jazz band that plays on his name, the Des Lee Collaborative Jazz Combo (featuring two students from Metro High School and one from Ritenour High School) performed “Joy Spring” at the memorial.
Also, the Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School Choir opened the ceremony by singing “Heal the World.”
“Each of you, all of us, in his memory, legacy and all of wonderful things he’s done for all of us, ask yourself: What am I doing that maybe I should be doing stronger or less or more?’” Rockette said.
“It’s our job to make sure no one ever forgets him, what he remind us of and that we are here to do the good fight.”
