LET’S TALK ABOUT…THE LEGACY OF DWIGHT LEE!!! Dwight
Lee has been a resident of Eugene/Springfield, OR, since the early eighties.
Not only were his treasured twin daughters born here, the transformation of his
life took place. He was a dedicated spiritual guide for people on a journey of
addiction.
Dwight was born in the small village of New Haven,
Michigan, in 1945. Like most people born 1945 to present, Dwight’s small town
upbringing set the foundation for coping strategies that he would need to
address the changes in the world that would influence his life: the revolutions
of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’, including the Civil Rights Movement.
He found his place in sports, primarily as a running
back football player starting in high school, all-star Michigan State, including
the 1966 Rose Bowl; he eventually was recruited by the San Francisco 49ers,
then traded to the Falcons. These are the stories that everyone wanted to hear
from Dwight; they were the most difficult stories he would have to repeat as
his path continued forward and downward.
Dwight once recalled to me his step by step decline
starting as a small town black boy heralded for his size and athleticism, “flung
into a limelight where you are treated one way while “performing” for the
crowds, and, another way off the field as a young black man” growing up during
the civil rights movement.
“When you come from where I did, you don’t know
about the temptations coming your way…and, how all those temptations will take
everything away from you…”
Dwight would reminisce about the fame and riches
that came to him because of his talents, and, how it, all too soon, led him
into the path of dark challenges that would eventually lead him to the great
man he really was—not a sports figure, but a spiritual guide for others that
were led down the pathway to nothing.
Dwight and I had both started working in the field
of addictions around the same time. Our paths crossed when we shared an office
while working for a treatment center. Dwight immediately became my mentor, my
friend, and, eventually, a business partner. When we would get scolded for our
“rebel” approaches, Dwight would say:
“…We don’t
work for them (administrators), MAx. We do what we do for the client. They aren’t
guiding us, God is guiding us. We always need to do what is right for our
client—and God will let us know what that is. You listen to Him, not them.”
When we started a private practice, Della, his
beloved wife, wrote these words for Dwight’s bio on the website: “Dwight Lee’s
losses to alcoholism and drug addiction were many: a professional football
career;…his reputation, self-respect, and freedom; and the near loss of his
second wife and twin daughters. His
gains? A life of consequences, (that led
to) working to help recovering addicts and alcoholics and spreading the word of
God through his Christian faith.”
DWIGHT LEE
RIP: 1945-2016
My mentor and an
authentic human
being
You lived your journey well,
and,
you made a
difference.
AND SO IT IS!!
Glad we
talked about this. Of course, it is just my
opinion.
This
column is reprinted from the Springfield Times (SpringfieldTimes.net) weekly
column "Ask MAx". The Springfield Times is published
weekly for Thursday delivery. Subscribe
at 541-741-7368.
You can comment on this
article and make suggestions for future columns:
maxfabry@LifestyleChangesCounseling.com. Or, snail mail your topics to
Lifestyle Changes, PO Box 1962, Eugene, OR 97440.
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