If you played high-school baseball in Rhode Island from the 1950s to the early 2000s, Dick Lee probably umpired one of your games. If you ran cross-country for Coventry High School in the 1950s, Dick Lee probably coached your team. If you played field hockey or girls lacrosse in the 1980s and 1990s, Dick Lee probably covered one of your games. And if you read The Providence Journal sports pages during those two decades, you saw Dick Lee’s byline over reports of just about every sport Rhode Island high-school kids play.
Richard C. “Dick” Lee died Monday at 85. He had retired from The Journal quite a while ago, but I’m sure those who knew him as a teacher and coach in Coventry, an official on ball fields throughout Rhode Island, a friendly face on The Journal copy desk or a kind-hearted writer on the high-school beat will remember him well.
I met Dick in 1977, when I joined The Journal sports staff after five years at The Call in Woonsocket, Dick’s hometown. He was in his late 40s then and, shall we say, a little on the heavy side, which, I’m sure, was the reason he seemed to relish my look of disbelief when he mentioned that he had been a runner in high school and had received a track scholarship to Notre Dame. Yes, that Notre Dame. I learned from his obituary that he was a three-time All-State in cross-country.
As a copy editor at The Journal, Dick always made time to call if he had a question about my story, even on deadline. I appreciated that extra effort. As a writer, Dick did not obsess over covering games at Fenway Park or Boston Garden. PC basketball? Others could chase the Friars. He was totally happy taking his notepad and pen to high-school games all over the state. He once told me that covering high-school games was easy. Just get the score right and put as many names in the story as possible. Dick was also great at shining the spotlight on high-school girls in the days when they received little more than token coverage in the sports pages.
Dick’s greatest achievement, however, was umpiring for 50 years. Five decades! Imagine that, calling balls and strikes and thumbing out runners on the bases from the ‘50s to the 2000s. I heard stories about Dick the ump hurrying games along so he could get to the paper. And how on hot summer nights he would take off his gear and work the copy desk in his T-shirt. Ah, those were the days. Demonstrating his versatility, Dick also officiated field hockey, girls soccer and fast pitch softball. He received several honors for his coverage of girls sports and for his umpiring. In 2007 he was inducted into the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Hall of Fame.
With a twinkle in his eye and a bemused grin, Dick reminded me of the jolly old elf himself, St. Nick. But Dick’s gift to the boys and girls of Rhode Island was a half-century of dedicated service as a teacher, coach, official and sports writer. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?
Calling hours are Thursday from 4 to 7 at the Hill Funeral Home in East Greenwich. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday at 10 at Our Lady of Mercy Church, also in East Greenwich.
