Phil Riddle
editor@weatherforddemocrat.com
Weatherford native and Air Force Brigadier General Lecel Lee is the subject of the lastest book by prolific local historians Mary Kemp and Leon Tanner.
The pair, who make up the publishing entity Nebo Valley Press, researched the life of the World War II hero and turned their findings into “The Toughest Airforce Commander in World War II.”
“[Lee] grew up on the east side of Weatherford, near Leon Tanner’s family,” Kemp said in a written statement announcing the release of the book. “We traveled to Abilene, Kan., to the Eisenhower museum and returned with Lecel’s diaries and articles from all over the world. We knew we had to write this book.”
Lee, profiled in a Weatherford Democrat story in April, 1993, was credited with teaching Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to fly.
“It was at Zablan Field in the Phillipines that Lee and Lefty Parker taught Eisenhower to fly,” Democrat writer Tim Wood reported. “Eisenhower was interested in flying, but his wife, Mamie, opposed it, and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, whom eisenhower then served as chief of staff, wasn’t very interested in aviation. But neither knew about Ike’s flying lessons.”
Research for the book was made easier by the fact Lee was a prodigious letter writer. According to Wood’s story, the Weatherford general penned between a half dozen and 15 letters a day.
A niece of Lee’s, Mary India Schoonover, also donated the use of a suitcase of photos and articles pertaining to the famous uncle to Tanner and Kemp for the book.
The forward of the Lee biography was written by local attorney and centenarian Jack Borden, who was the subject of a Tanner-Kemp collaboration, “Boots to Briefcases: Jack Borden — Country Lawyer.” He recalled Lee’s penchant for standing up for others.
“The one thing that comes to mind when thinking about Lecel Lee is the compassion he had for people who could not defend themselves, or had someone imposing upon them,” Borden wrote. “Lecel always volunteered and tried to help.”
The book, the fifth published by Nebo Valley Press, is available at several outlets in Weatherford with proceeds going to local charities, including the Abandoned Cemetery Association and local senior citizens organizations.
It will also be available at the annual Shaw-Kemp Open House, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 18. Cost of the books is $25.
Other Parker County history books published by Nebo Valley, include “A Parker County Texas Cowboy: All Over;” “History of Parker County Prior to 193,” using Edith Borden’s college thesis as the background information; and “Parker County Legends: Trail Bosses and Wild Hosses,” detailing the lives of Charles Goodnight, Oliver Loving and Bose Ikard.
The local publishing concern also reprinted “Texas as it is: Main Facts in a Nutshell,” and has recently acquired the rights to Doyle Marshall’s, “A Cry Unheard.”
Where to find “The Toughest Airforce Commander in World War II”
Weatherford
Texas Butane
Weatherford Chamber of Commerce
Doss Heritage and Culture Center
County Mercantile
The Bookcase
Elsewhere
Lark Bookstore, Hudson Oaks
The Book Satchel, Mineral Wells
Hill Country Furniture, Natty Flat, Palo Pinto County
The Book Store, Granbury
Mary’s Brazos Cafe, Tin Top, Parker County
Local News
Related Photos
March 18, 2009
Local WWII hero profiled in new book
Lecel Lee touted as “The Toughest Airforce Commander in World War II”
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