Norvel LaFollette Ray Lee was raised in Eagle Rock, Va., during the time of Jim Crow. He became an Olympic champion, Tuskegee Airman, World War II veteran, a prominent educator and youth mentor, and a civil rights leader. This son of Eagle Rock, born on September 22, 1924, will be recognized on Saturday, September 17, with a historical marker unveiled in his honor.
The marker is being erected jointly by Botetourt County, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Family members of Lee, including his granddaughter from Nome, Alaska, will be in attendance, along with dignitaries, friends, and Ken Conklin, who authored Lee’s biography, “Norvel.”
A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony at the Eagle Rock Library. with refreshments, storytelling, and a meet and greet with Conklin.
The event is open to the public. Those wishing to attend are asked to meet at the Eagle Rock Library at 55 Eagles Nest Drive, at 1:45 p.m. A shuttle will be provided from the library to the historical marker site on Route 220.
For more information about Lee’s life and legacy, visit www.kennethfconklin.com.
For more information about the event, contact Tiffany Bradbury at tbradbury@botetourtva.gov or by calling (540) 293-1251.