Until recently, if you do a quick web search on the name Norvel Lee, you'd likely find some of his accomplishments as a boxer.
The Botetourt County native did earn an Olympic gold medal in the sport, becoming the first Black Virginian to receive that honor in the early 50’s. But a state historical marker and recent book about Lee’s life story now offer a much broader perspective on his impact.
Meanwhile, family members say they’re discovering an even greater connection with him, more than 30 years since his passing.
The highway marker on Route 220 is located in the unincorporated community of Gala. The marker visible to northbound traffic is within a couple of miles from where he grew up and went to church.
Local historian Ken Conklin said he first came across the name Norvel Lee in August of 2016, when the Olympics were played in Rio.
“I’m sitting at my coffee table, and my wife put in front of me an article from the Fincastle Herald, it was a headline story, that said ‘Botetourt Native Won Olympic Gold,” he explained. “And somehow, it got my attention. There was a companion article with it – that said, but that’s not all what all Norvel Lee did during his life.”
Conklin said a Google search didn’t turn up much, but did locate Lee’s name in boxing blog called Boxing Along the Beltway, which included archival material on Lee, and his record in the Washington, DC area.
Commenters on that blog included Daryn Anderson, one of Lee’s granddaughters. By reaching out to her, Conklin said that started “the journey of a lifetime,” meeting members of his family in Maryland.
But that same newspaper article, citing a civil rights case, prompted much more research.
In 1948, when Lee returned home from the London Olympics, he boarded a train back home, during a time of Jim Crow segregation.
“He was on a train going from Covington to Clifton Forge, and got arrested in the white section of a really, really rural train,” said Conklin. “There were only about four people on the train. It turned out to be a big deal.”
Once he boarded, Lee was asked to immediately move to the train’s Black session, but refused. He was told by the Allegheny County sheriff to move, or get off. He did exit the train, but went straight back to the ticket office to cancel his ticket, replacing it with one to Washington, DC. He re-boarded, got in the same seat, and was arrested.
Lee ultimately won that case on appeal before the Virginia Supreme Court, as it ruled segregation laws did not apply to interstate travelers.
Before that case, Lee had humbly earned his share of accomplishments, including time in the Army Air Forces as part of the Tuskegee Airmen, he was a graduate of Howard University, and he’d boxing a few years as part of the amateur Golden Gloves competition. But he was also a quiet, unassuming man, who had a stutter than cut his pilot training short.
Conklin said with the help of the blog, he found highlights of boxing records that started in the military, when Lee was stationed in the South Pacific. One of his Golden Gloves fights in 1951 was partially captured by this newsreel.
But his biggest highlight as a boxer came at the 1952 Olympic games in Helsinki, where he earned his gold medal.
Lee never turned pro as a boxer, but later took up a career in education, including as a counselor with the Department of Justice, living in the Washington, DC area in his later years. He retired from the Air Force Reserve as as lieutenant colonel. Norvel Lee died of pancreatic cancer in 1992.
Two his granddaughters credit Conklin for helping them now realize who they lost when they were very young (both under the age of 10.) Both said they have fond memories of family vacations, but not the deep history.
Tiffany Ayler called it a ‘aha moment,’ saying she didn’t even know about the Virginia Supreme Court case.
“Even the people (my grandfather) played pinochle with didn’t know,” she said. “It was such a nonchalant thing, like ‘is that a gold medal?’ yeah, it was really subtle. He wasn’t braggadocios about his accomplishments.”
Ayler’s cousin, Danielle Anderson, said she felt a sense of belonging when she was in Botetourt County for the historical marker unveiling with her grandfather’s name.
“I have – I won’t say a better understanding, but a better feeling of how he came up, and how important he and family were to that place,” she said. “And now seeing the recognition down the line means so much more.”
It’s only recently that Anderson learned she and her grandfather were both involved in Toastmasters, the nonprofit educational group that works to develop public speaking skills.
For his 2020 book, Norvel: An American Hero, Ken Conklin says he can find similar traits throughout Lee’s family history, saying he grew up in a family where education came first.
“His mother emphasized education for his 2 brothers and his sister,” he explained. “When Norvel went to Howard University, he became a teacher, or an assistant for the National Training School for Boys. The kids would tease him about his stammer, and he would just give it back to them.”
The Lee historical marker was unveiled in 2022. One honoring a man many now refer to as ‘Botetourt County’s most famous son.'
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
