Norvel Lee was a Tuskegee Airman, civil rights pioneer, and Olympic gold medal winner but his remarkable accomplishments were overlooked - until now. Based on true events, NORVEL: An American Hero is a meticulously researched book that has recently inspired a historical marker and highway to be named in his honor.

Norvel Lee was born and raised in a rustic Black community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Despite obstacles such as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws, limited schooling opportunities, and a speech impediment, Lee’s life journey led to exceptional accomplishments on the world stage.  After graduating high school, he was selected for flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield serving in a segregated unit in the South Pacific during World War II. Afterward, he enrolled at Howard University and took up intramural boxing. As a pugilist he excelled, becoming a member the 1948 Olympic team and then national AAU heavyweight champion. In 1952 he once again was on the U.S. Olympic team, making history at the Helsinki Games.

Lee graduated from Howard University, and later received several advanced degrees, and became a devoted educator, holding teaching and administrator positions during his career. Lee and his wife, while raising their family, became prominent mentors and sponsors of young people in the greater Washington, D.C., area. He also served as a senior officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

"This is a must read for anyone who wants to know the stories that weren't told during the Jim Crow era."  Dwayne Yancey, executive editor of the Cardinal News.