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= Moved to draft submission: Draft:Ronald B. Lee = = Kermit J. Lee Jr. =

Kermit James Lee Jr. (1934-2018) was an architect, artist, and professor emeritus at Syracuse University. He was the first black graduate from Syracuse's School of Architecture in 1957.

Early Life
Lee was born March 27, March 27, 1934 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Kermit J. Lee (1909-1991) and Lillian Jackson Lee (1910-2017). His four siblings include, Ronald B. Lee (the first African American Assistant Postmaster-General), William, Judith, and Deborah. Their father, Kermit, was the first black bank teller in Springfield and worked for the Third National Bank of Hampden County and their mother, Lillian, worked in local schools. The family were communicants at St. John's Congregational in the city.

Lee attended Springfield's public schools and graduated from the city's Technical High School in 1951 then attended Syracuse University.

Career
Lee also briefly returned to Springfield in the 1960s to help the city plan a renewal project for the Winchester Square neighbor, adjacent to the home of Kermit Sr., and Lillian Lee.

Lee suffered a stroke in 1994 as a result he had to retire from active teaching and relearn how to draw with his left hand having lost sensations on his right side.

Personal Life and Death
Lee married Lore Leipelt and the couple had two children. Lee passed away on January 16, 2018.

Legacy
Since 1997, Syracuse maintains the "Kermit J. Lee Jr. Endowed Scholarship" in Lee's honor.

In 2020 Syracuse hosted “The Living Room Conversation: In Memory of Professor Kermit J. Lee Jr.” exhibition in honor of Lee. The exhibition was concluded with the “Professor Kermit J. Lee Jr. Symposium” and an art show highlight Lee's work following his stroke was also presented.

Some of Lee's architectural drawings from his firm are housed in Syracuse's Special Collections Research Center

Since 1997, Syracuse maintains the "Kermit J. Lee Jr. Endowed Scholarship" in Lee's honor.