Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Norvel Lee was born in 1924 in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. His parents and siblings lived in a rural segregated black community. The family was close-knit, loving, and practical. Education and involvement in the affairs of their rustic church were emphasized. In spite of many obstacles, including Virginia's Jim Crow laws, limited schooling opportunities, and a speech impediment, Norvel went on to achieve remarkable accomplishments in the larger world, including an Olympic gold medal.
He was the top academic student at the Academy Hill School for Negroes in Fincastle, Virginia. When he graduated in 1943 he was selected for pilot training at Tuskegee, home of the Tuskegee Airmen. Norvel earned his wings but was rejected for an active pilot assignment because of his stammer. Instead he was sent to an airbase in Mississippi where he meets and befriends Robert Jackson of Leesburg, Virginia. While looking at a photo of Robert's family, Norvel notices Robert's sister and suggests he would like to meet her sometime. They are then sent to different areas in the Pacific during the closing months of WWII.
After the war Norvel enrolls at Washington D.C.'s Howard University. Norvel joins the newly integrated D.C. Golden Gloves. He establishes himself as the top heavyweight boxer in the region. Then, after only seven official bouts, he's selected as the alternate heavyweight on the U.S. Olympic boxing team. After the Olympics, while visiting his family in Gala, Norvel is arrested for sitting in the white section of a segregated train. He appeals the case, eventually resulting in a landmark civil rights decision.
Returning to Howard as a sophomore Norvel enlists in the ROTC. He encounters Robert Jackson again, a newly enrolled freshman. Norvel meets Robert's sister, Leslie. They begin dating, eventually marrying in 1951.
Norvel's establishes himself as the top amateur heavyweight boxer in the U.S. In 1950 and 1951 he becomes the national amateur heavyweight champion for both the AAU and Golden Gloves. He's selected as a member of the U.S Duals team. In a highly publicized bout he defeats Ingemar Johansson in Gothenburg, Sweden.
In March 1952, Norvel completes ROTC training and becomes a Captain in the Air Force Reserve. He remains in the reserves for thirty years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
In 1952, Norvel is again selected for the Olympic boxing team. The Helsinki Olympic Games are the first to pit the U.S. against the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but the athletes celebrate the coming together of the world. Norvel is the senior, most experienced boxing team member. As such he's asked to watch over seventeen year-old Floyd Patterson.
Norvel wins the gold medal and is voted by the judges to be the outstanding boxer of the Olympics. The Americans won five of the ten gold medals for boxing, a remarkable achievement on the world stage. All five men were African Americans. An iconic photo of the five men is included in the chapter.
Norvel became a prominent educator while he and Leslie raised their family. They also were proactive in many outreach programs, serving on a number of community boards.
Synopsis
On a September morning in 1948 a member of the U.S. Olympic team and Howard University student was arrested for taking a seat in the white section of a segregated train car in rural Virginia. The resulting court case eventually resulted in a landmark civil rights decision.
Norvel Lee spent his childhood in a rustic, segregated black community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. His father was a day laborer for the railroad while his mother expected her children to get an education and become involved in community affairs. In spite of obstacles such as Virginia's jim crow laws, limited schooling opportunities, and a speech impediment, Norvel's life journey led to exceptional accomplishments in the larger world.
After high school, he was selected for flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield. He served in a segregated unit in the South Pacific during World War II. Afterward, he enrolled at Howard University to pursue engineering and took up intramural boxing. As a pugilist he excelled, becoming the national AAU heavyweight champion and a member of the U.S. Olympic team. In 1952 he once again was on the U.S. Olympic team, making history at the Helsinki Games.
Norvel married Leslie Jackson of Leesburg, Virginia, graduated from Howard University, and started a family. Later he received several advanced degrees and devoted himself to a career in education. He and Leslie became prominent mentors and sponsors of young people in the greater Washington, D.C., area. He also served as a senior officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.
Based on true events, NORVEL is a meticulously researched story about a remarkable man.