Dr. LeRoy James Hines, Jr. (Lee) was born in Tampa, Florida on September 15, 1943, and moved with his parents (the late LeRoy Sr. and the late Annie nee Johnson) and siblings (the late Gloria Bebley, Leonard, and the late Patricia Jones) to Chicago as part of the African-American migration to Northern cities from the South. Lee’s youngest sister, Benita Christine, was born after the family’s move to Chicago. Lee graduated from Holy Angels Catholic Elementary School, Hales Franciscan/Corpus Christi and DeLaSalle Catholic High Schools, serving as altar boy throughout his schooling. After high school, Lee bravely volunteered to serve in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam Era (4 years active duty and 4 years reserve duty), stationed primarily on Okinawa as an air-to-ground radio communications specialist. After returning from service, Lee joined Spiegel’s in the collections department and decided to pursue his education, the first in his family to do so. He graduated from Olive-Harvey College with an Associates degree, went on to complete Bachelors degrees at Roosevelt University (where he met his life partner and wife of 44 years Carla nee Novak), a Masters in Social Work at The University of Chicago, a Masters in Education at National-Louis University, and ultimately a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Northwestern University. Lee pursued 2 distinct professional paths throughout his career: Social Work through Youth Guidance Agency providing counseling services to minority students at Chicago high schools as well as through private psychotherapy counseling to individuals and families, and Educational Administration by returning to his alma maters serving as Dean at Olive-Harvey College, Roosevelt University, and National-Louis University. Lee accepted an opportunity to serve as Executive Vice President at Urban College of Boston and, despite a lack of knowledge or experience in the Boston community, achieved such success that he was appointed President of the College in 8 months, a position he held for the next 5 years. Lee subsequently returned to Boston to serve in an executive leadership capacity with Bunker Hill Community College. Lee’s wish was to return to his birthplace, which he and Carla accomplished a few months ago, and to celebrate his 75th birthday, which was his “best birthday ever”. Lee passed on October 27, 2018, and is survived by his brother Len; sister Chris; brother- and sister-in-law Otto and Linda Novak; sister-in-law Jane Hines; nieces and nephews the late Leesa, the late Tyrone, Keith, Hizzy, Kimberly, Leonard, Kirk, Claudette, Patrice, Margaret, Ben and Anastasia and their families; and numerous cousins. A memorial mass will be conducted on November 8, 2018 at 10:00am at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 8320 Old County Road 54, New Port Richey, FL 34653 (phone 727-372-8600).
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