Each year, Board Members of the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce nominate and cast their votes for the Citizens of the Year. It is proudly proclaimed that the winners of the 2017 Forest Citizens of the Year Award are: Tommy and Gail Lee.
When the Chamber chose the Lees, they notified their office secretary. “When Robin called me,” said Gail, “all she would say was, Mrs. Gail, don’t ask any questions, just be at the office at 9:30 Thursday morning.” And she literally would not tell her anything except, “Ya’ll are going to have a surprise,” so Gail did not tell Tommy anything at all.
“Do you know?” Gail laughed and smiled, “This is the first secret I have ever kept from Tommy Lee in 48 years of marriage.”
And it was really a very nice surprise. Mayor Nancy Chambers, Chris Strebeck, Community Bank, and Drew Kenna, Bank of Forest came to present a Letter of Congratulations as Forest 2017 Citizens of the Year from the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce.
Thomas Drayton (Tommy) Lee and Gail Zianna Abraham met at Mississippi College. Gail obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Education, while Tommy got his Bachelors of Arts in History, with a minor in Latin. “My Dad made me do that because legal terms are in Latin,” Tommy explained.
After graduation, Gail went to teach school in Gulfport and Tommy went to Law School at Ole Miss. “We had a five-and-a-half-year courtship,” said Gail, “On weekends, we would meet in Vicksburg at my house, or he would come down to Gulfport.”
Tommy interjected, “There was this tiny airport in Oxford, with an old DC-3 airplane, if you were a student, twenty-five dollars would take you round trip to Gulfport and back.” That sounds like a good deal, until you realize that there are about ten stops along the way. The planes flew you from Oxford to Greenville to Vicksburg to somewhere in Louisiana to who knows where else, until you ended up in Gulfport.
Gail displayed her hand showing a unique opal on her finger and said, “He flew in with my engagement ring, this very ring. He wanted me to wear it just for the weekend, but I wanted to be sure, to be absolutely sure, so I told him no.” She said unequivocally, “When I put this ring on, it will be forever.” Tommy brought the ring in October, Gail put it on in April, and a flurry of nuptial plans was put into motion for a beautiful Vicksburg wedding that was held on June 29, 1969.
The happy couple settled in Forest at the Oak Garden Apartments. Tommy practiced law with his father, Judge Roy Noble Lee, and Gail road in a carpool to teach in 5th grade at Lake until an opening became available to teach 4th grade at Forest. All was going well, but time was passing by, and still there was no baby. Tommy took Gail to see Dr. Kitchens in Jackson for an ob/gyn assessment. She went back to the examination room and he sat down in the waiting room and picked up a magazine. Dr. Kitchens came out and told them that they were dealing with infertility due to endometriosis. The doctor said that they were going to have to do surgery; but he just didn’t know. That’s when Tommy, still holding the waiting room magazine in his hand, pointed to an article in it and said, “What about this guy?” This guy, the magazine read, was Dr. Robert Franklin, one of the most successful surgeons on the forefront in corrections of endometriosis, operating in Houston, Texas. To their amazement, Dr. Kitchens said that he knew Dr. Franklin because they had just attended a specialist seminar together. Dr. Kitchens called Dr. Franklin right then and there. Tommy and Gail were scheduled to see Dr. Franklin that Thursday at 2:00 p.m.
The excited couple boarded the plane to Houston, their hearts filled with hope.
They were flying high, when they heard someone say, “I think I’m having a heart attack!” The pilot made an immediate emergency landing, nowhere near Houston. By the time Tommy was able to call Dr. Franklin’s office, it was well after 2:00 p.m. They had missed their appointment. Incredibly, however, the nurse came back on the line and said that Dr. Franklin would still see them, even if it was after 5:00 p.m.
After Dr. Franklin examined Gail, he told her and Tommy that she was a good candidate for his specialty procedure, but there were no openings on that Friday, and he was booked solid for the immediate future. Tommy and Gail prepared to leave the office, knowing that they would probably never be back to Houston. Just then, a call came in. One of the patients scheduled for Monday wanted to cancel her surgery due to the flu. Gail was offered her slot on the operating roster, if they would stay in Houston over the weekend. Tommy took Gail back to Dr. Franklin that Monday and she underwent the four-hour long specialty procedure.
One year later, Tommy and Gail were at the gulf coast attending the annual Bar Convention. They were seated at a favorite restaurant prepared to give their order, when Gail started ordering anything but her favorites. BBQ ribs, lemon ice-box pie and Tommy said, “Gail, what is wrong with you?” When they returned home to Forest, Gail couldn’t help but wonder, could it be? Almost afraid to hope, she very privately took a home test. When the strip turned blue, Gail couldn’t contain herself. She called Tommy and Tommy called Dr. Kitchens and once again, they found themselves in a doctor’s office after 5:00 p.m., and on a Friday afternoon, nonetheless. Dr. Kitchens congratulated them both. They were going to have a child!
“Everything went amazingly well and wonderful,” said Gail. “And at 36 and 37 years old, that’s saying something,” added Tommy.
Their son, Dr. Jonathan Drayton Lee, “Jon-Dray”, is now 36 himself. He is a third-year resident in family medicine at University of Mississippi Medical Center, as well as being awarded a one-year fellowship in the specialty of Sports Medicine.
Tommy Lee became an attorney because of the influence of his grandfather, Percy M. Lee, a lawyer, judge and Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Also, because his father, Roy Noble Lee, followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and Tommy wanted to follow in his. Tommy Lee is still practicing law full-time in Forest. In January, it will be 50 years.
Tommy was born May 22, 1943, in Buffalo, New York, where his father was a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His parents received a letter of congratulations signed by J. Edgar Hoover, himself.
Tommy was educated in the public schools of Forest, obtained his B.A. Degree from Mississippi College where he was the 1965 President of the Pre-Law Club and Member of College Senate. He attended Tulane School of Law in New Orleans, and is a graduate of University of Mississippi School of Law, Oxford, with Juris Doctor Degree. He served two terms as Judge on the Central District Tribunal of the Mississippi Bar which oversees the discipline and reprimands of lawyers, including disbarment. He is Senior Partner at Lee & Lee, P.A. and has been a practicing attorney, civil and criminal, in Circuit and Chancery Courts of Mississippi from 1968 to present, a county attorney for Scoot County, 1972-1976, attorney for the Forest Municipal School District from 1976 until present, municipal attorney for City of Forest 1976-2000, and president of Ott & Lee Funeral Homes of Forest, Morton, Brandon and Richland.
He was sworn in as a member of the Mississippi Bar on January 29, 1969, and became a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar as well, which only 10%, or less, achieve. Bar Fellowship is based on professionalism, competence and leadership, not only as a lawyer, but also by dedication and service to the public and to the profession in Mississippi.
Tommy is past president of the Scott County Bar Association, the Mississippi Municipal Attorney’s Association, the Scott County Ole Miss Alumni Association, and the Forest Booster Club. He is the Voice of the Bearcats, serving as public announcer since 1969. He is a past member of the Forest Lion’s Club and an active member of the Andrew Jackson Council and the Boy Scouts of America. He is an Eagle Scout with the God and Country Award, as well as recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, which is the highest honor a Council can give to an adult. He served in the Forest Unit of the Mississippi National Guard from 1968-1974.
In his spare time, Tommy is the Camp Cook for his Deer Camp buddies. He likes to fish. And he likes to read history. “I get really interested in that,” he said.
Tommy and Gail have been active members of Forest Baptist Church since 1953, where Gail was instrumental in organizing the first Couples Sunday School Class. She served in Children’s Choir, taught Sunday School and Bible School. Gail taught elementary education in the Forest Municipal School District, the Scott County School District, and the Gulf Coast School District before that. As President of Kappa Kappa Iota Honor Society and the PTA, she has made continual efforts to honor teachers for their hard work and dedication to students throughout Mississippi. Gail has served on the Board of the American Cancer Society and helped with fund raising for the St. Jude Society. She is an active member of Friends of the Library. She became heavily involved in Cub Scouts as a Den Mother with her son’s scout group and on the baseball field during his school years in sports. Her hobbies are tennis, exercise classes and cooking. “But my greatest joy,” Gail says, “Is being a mother.”
