In Memoriam: Life Trustee the Reverend Vernon L. Lee Jr. ’54

It’s a love story that began at Hendricks Chapel, where Vernon L. Lee Jr. first met Marcia L. Heath. Both undergraduates, they raised their voices in song together, worshipped together and, six days after they both graduated from Syracuse University in 1954, they married. Their devotion to each other and to the Orange Community lasted a lifetime and beyond—in the establishment of the Marcia ’54 and Vernon ’54 Lee Endowed Fund for Hendricks Chapel.

The Reverend Vernon LaMont “Bonky” Lee Jr. was 92 when he passed away on Dec. 10, 2023. He had served as a voting trustee on the Syracuse University Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1989, when he became a life trustee. He also served on the Hendricks Chapel Advisory Board.

“Vernon was a valued trustee and supporter of Syracuse University for decades,” Chancellor Kent Syverud says. “I am so grateful for his life and work.”

Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama from the College of Arts and Sciences followed by a master’s degree in theology from the Boston University School of Theology in 1957. He began as a pastor in 1957, advancing to the position of superintendent of the Elmira District of the Methodist Church in New York. Lee also had served as executive director of the church’s Central New York Conference, headquartered in Syracuse. In retirement, he had been a senior consultant to the United Methodist Frontier Foundation Inc.

It is noteworthy that the Methodist leader was so dedicated to and engaged with his alma mater, a university that was initially founded by resolution of the Methodist State Convention in Syracuse in 1870. “Reverend Lee embodied the dynamic relationship between faith and learning,” says the Rev. Brian E. Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel. “Through his lifelong commitment to mission and ministry, Vernon truly lived the famous quote by Methodist theologian John Wesley: ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.’”

“To be on the receiving end of Rev. Lee’s kindness and wisdom was an honor. Though Syracuse University is no longer affiliated with the Methodist Church, leaders such as Vernon help to ensure that the spirit and soul of our campus community will remain strong for generations to come,” says Konkol. Lee’s ministry mentor was Charles Noble who was the dean of Hendricks Chapel when he and Marcia were students. The endowed fund set up by the couple was created “to initiate, support and/or enhance programs that fulfill the mission of Hendricks Chapel.” Konkol says it provides support for students in need, and creates opportunities for student engagement.

As a Methodist pastor in the Central New York Conference, Lee served churches in Watkins Glen, Syracuse, Auburn, Geneva and Elmira. In later years, he became district superintendent for Elmira, and subsequently conference executive. He completed his active ministry at the United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, New York.

Lee was a member of the United Methodist Frontier Foundation’s Board of Directors, serving New York and Connecticut. He was past president of the Board of Directors of the Folts Foundation Inc. in Herkimer, New York; past chair of the Board of Trustees of Alban at Duke Divinity School (formerly The Alban Institute in Herndon, Virginia); and past president of The Rotary Club of Syracuse.

He and his wife Marcia, who received a bachelor’s degree from the School of Education, were also generous supporters of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University Athletics and Syracuse University Libraries.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Marcia, two children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.