Page 168 - PGM Compendium

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Of
M⸫W⸫ Leslie W. Lee: 1945-1946

Most Worshipful Brother Leslie Ward Lee was born February 7,
1893, at Oregon City, Oregon. His parents being natives of
Minnesota, the family returned to their home state in 1895. It was
there where our Brother received his public school education,
graduating from the Crookston High School in 1912, the recipient of
special honors in debate, being a member of the Championship State
High School Debating team.

In 1916 he graduated from Iowa College, Grinnell, Iowa, with a B.
A. Degree and was signally honored by being elected into the
National Honorary Fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa. Additional
educational training was secured by graduate study at the
Universities of Minnesota, Washington and Stanford.

Upon graduation from college he entered upon the profession of education, serving as principal of the
High School at Manning, Iowa, in 1916-1917 and in a similar capacity at Montevideo, Minnesota, in 1917-
1918.

The First World War brought him to Washington, arriving at Camp Lewis in the spring of 1918. In the
fall of 1919 he entered upon his educational work in Washington by becoming the Superintendent of
Schools at Marcus, serving in that capacity until 1924. In 1924 he went to Odessa as Superintendent of
Schools, remaining there until 1941, when he became Director of Public Relations at the Eastern
Washington College of Education at Cheney.

Hi Masonic journey would begin in the spring of 1919 when Destiny Lodge No. 197, of Tacoma, elected
him to receive the degrees of Masonry. Due to his departure from Tacoma to Marcus, the degrees were
conferred through the courtesy of Kettle Falls Lodge No. 130. He was initiated on October 15, 1919,
passed November 19, 1919, and raised on December 17, I9I9. On his moving to Odessa in 1924, he
dimitted to Odessa Lodge No. 156, serving as its Master in 1932, and as its Secretary from 1933 to 1941.

His Grand Lodge activities began in 1934 when Most Worshipful Brother Loomis Baldrey appointed him
as the first District Deputy Grand Master for District No. 29. He remained in that capacity for two years,
and in 1936 he was made a member of the Committee on Jurisprudence by Most Worshipful Brother
Ralph E. Tieje, serving continuously thereon until 1942 when he was elected Junior Grand Warden. In
1945 the brethren elected him as their Grand Master.

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