"LEE EVERETT LORD, born November 19, 1961 (the day Lucille Ball married her second husband Gary Morton) in Abington, Pennsylvania.
My Mother’s family were mostly coal miners in the Northeastern part of Pennsylvania, all the way up to her father, my grandfather. Her family immigrated to the Untied States from England and Germany. My Father’s family was from Scotland and England. My mother and father moved to the town I grew up in as my father was trained as a mechanic in the Army and there were good jobs at the US Steel Mill in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. This was about 100 miles from their parent’s homes. My mother had her Bachelors degree in Education and she began teaching in the school district near there. The area around where I grew up was where George Washington crossed the Delaware river on Christmas morning to go over to New Jersey to surprise the Hessians. So I knew houses and had friends that George Washington stayed in and visited. It is a very historic area.
I have one sister who is two years older. As we get older I am amazed that we get closer and closer. I treasure my relationship with her and how she will do anything to help me should I ask. My mother’s mother died In January of 2010 and my mother died in June 2011. My father and I stay in contact and we see each other at least every six months.
As I went to a school where you lived in dormitories from the age of 14, I feel like I grew up quickly in many areas. There were other areas that were greatly lacking. I began my first job while fifteen years old in a restaurant as a dishwasher in a tourist area. I loved making money and saving money for things that I wanted to buy. From there I became a cashier in a “casino like” business. I was also a janitor in a Travelodge Hotel. My first job in my chosen field was at a Montessori School for preschool through fifth grade during my senior year of college. From there I worked at a residential counselor in a school for adults with mental handicaps. After that I moved to Hawaii and became a live in housekeeper first on Diamond Head and then in Hawaii Kai. I finally began working at Kahi Mohala with adolescents and did that for one and a half years before getting promoted to the admissions office for one and half years. By then I had earned my Master’s Degree from Chaminade University. I began working as a drug and alcohol counselor for adolescents at Schoffield Barracks for three years. From there I began working as an administrator for adolescent group homes on Oahu for about three years. I chose to move to Hilo in 1996 and be the administrator for Child and Family Service for East Hawaii. From there I was the Executive Director for Turning Point for Families for four years addressing domestic violence issues. Then my last social service full time employment was with Family Programs of Hawaii where I assisted youth in long term foster homes and supported the families that were the foster parents. In 2008 I began working for the county.
After twenty-five years in the social service field I felt that my energy and spirit to help at that fast paced, high profile level had waned and so I began looking for a career move. Ah, but more about that next month, right?"
Why did you come to Volcano?
My wife and I were living on Oahu and felt that the schools were too crowded and that affording a home with a yard was beyond our reach or worth the cost. We had been taking vacations on neighbor islands and it appeared to us that the Hilo side of the Big Island was the quietest and had the least “tourist” traffic on weekends. We purchased a square piece of land in Fern Forest for the unbelievable price of $13,000. We visited the property and enjoyed the quiet and the nature. The wild orchids on the land were a large selling point also.
We moved here in 1996 after my employer decided I was ripe for a promotion. She then only had to "convince" me to move to Hilo. We moved into a rented home in 1996 after I had commuted by plane for one month to Hilo from Oahu. After moving, my wife commuted for six months back to Oahu on work days until her transfer with her employer was completed and approved. Fast forward one year and we then had two daughters four and five years old. We decided we needed a larger home and needed to invest our money instead of spending it on rent with nothing to show at the end. We had a friend in Volcano who shared how nice the community and environment was. We also had our mailbox in Volcano for our Fern Forest address and we thought we might end up there anyway. So several trips a week to Volcano and we really grew attached to Volcano. We decided that building a house while raising two daughters and each of us maintaining full time jobs was too much. We decided to buy a home in Volcano. We found our dream home at the right price and have been here since."
Several years on ...
"Outside of my county employment I continue to complete adoption home studies on a contractual basis for a private non-profit company in Hilo. I enjoy the interaction and providing support and guidance to couples and individuals that want to adopt children. Due to the fact that things are going well for these families, the level of stress and emotional turmoil is almost non-existent. I enjoy using my counseling skills and the relationships this affords me."
Is there anything you would like to promote or endorse?
"I have also volunteered for the American Cancer Society of East Hawaii by helping out with the annual Relay for Life event. This year I am the Event Chair. I support the ACS because the funds donated go to patient support services and research to decrease the mortality rate of victims of cancer. From 1977 to 2007 the five year survival rate of those diagnosed with cancer went from 49% to 67%. That’s significant, especially when you think about how much the population increased and how many more cancers are being diagnosed. Along with the education and prevention work happening the American Cancer Society is doing amazing things. Everyone has either had a friend, family member or themselves been diagnosed with cancer. This year's Relay is going to be July 21st-22nd at Wong Stadium. The whole Wong stadium is divided up into tent sites and we already only have 10 sites left. We hope this will be a great event to Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back. To donate you can go to my Relay For Life webpage and donate on-line using your credit card.
There you can also read about the very low operational overhead for Relay (like less than 5%). Mahalo for any donations.
Lastly, I am the treasurer for Mitch Roth’s campaign for Prosecutor for Hawaii County. Mitch is an honest man with energy and motivation to help all people in our county collaborate and make life better for people and families on the Big Island. I cannot advocate or endorse him enough. Please go to his campaign website to view his accomplishments and messages to those in our county."
Well Lee, so far you sound like any other ordinary Joe with a Ph.D. Can you share anything that would make you stand out?
~ Hiked 50 miles on the Appalachian trail.
~ Attended highly academically competitive high school and graduated.
~ Performed in plays as an actor in Elementary, Intermediate and High School as well as in college.
~ Performed on weekly television variety skit show on Oahu’s public access channel “Island Performances”
~ In high school was on the swim team, tennis team and soccer team.
~ Lived in a dormitory since the age of 14 for three years in high school.
~ Cared for two children during his sophomore year of college for a single mother that was attending nursing school. The summer of my senior year was invited to travel to Hawaii from Tennessee to care for the children while they were visiting their father for six weeks.
~ Has been certified in the State of Hawaii as a Substance Abuse Counselor.
~ Was nationally certified to train on internet security for domestic violence victims.
~ Trained as a trainer in “Common Sense Parenting” by the Boys Town School of Omaha, Nebraska.
~ Trained as a facilitator ‘Trustee Leadership Development’ focused on building the capacity to serve and lead for members of Boards of Directors
~ Trained as a facilitator in ‘Technologies of Participation’ which is used with Boards to achieve consensus and direction.
~ Trained as a trainer by Casey Family Programs of ‘Racial and Ethnic Identity’
~ Completed Able Toastmaster.
~ In 2010, achieved Producer status at Na Leo O Hawaii.
~ Has been a Christian all of his life and his spirituality has been a guiding force and light to guide his actions. He praises God everyday for his blessings and challenges.
~ Has visited all 50 states as well as 20 countries. Really enjoys travelling and seeing how others live and adapt to their cultures and environments.
Sorry Volcans, I had to cut him off there. I was feeling a little insecure.
