It’s a long way from Glen Rock to the jungles of Southeast Asia, and in the Sixties it was a trip no one really wanted to make. However, when the call came to do so, there were those who served with distinction and honor. Susquehannock is proud to have such a hero in its ranks – W. Lee Fry, Class of 1960, who survived the Viet Nam conflict with two of the American military’s most prestigious decorations.

While at Susquehannock, Lee’s leadership, drive, and commitment to excellence were obvious. He was a unique athlete, earning a total of 14 letters in four sports: football, basketball, baseball and track. He particularly excelled in football where he played guard on the conference cochampionship team of 1957. Lee finished his high school career as the team captain and quarterback.

He was also very active in many other co-curricular activities. He had the lead role in the Junior and Senior plays, was Sports Editor and Co-Editor of The Courier, Business Manager for The Calumet, and a member of the National Honor Society.

After graduation in 1960, Lee attended Lehigh University on a football scholarship. He was defensive end on the Engineers’ 1961 Lambert Cup Championship team. He also served as President of Chi Psi fraternity.

Lee graduated from Lehigh in 1965 with a degree in mechanical engineering and reported directly to Navy Officers Candidate School. After graduation as an Ensign, he reported aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Black in San Diego, CA as Assistant Engineering Officer where tours of duty led him to Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. About two years into his naval career, the Navy put out a call for volunteers to lead a new kind of warfare – the “swift boat.” These vulnerable craft were first used to patrol the coastline of South Viet Nam to prevent infiltration of soldiers and munitions, and later to patrol the dangerous rivers of the Mekong Delta.

It was in this service that Lee was wounded in action and awarded the Purple Heart. In this action, the Navy also awarded him the Bronze Star with a combat “V” for valor in recognition of heroic acts in direct combat with an enemy force.

After his discharge from the Navy in 1968, Lee put his engineering degree to a different use in the construction products industry, beginning work in Pittsburgh, PA with the construction materials giant E.G. Smith. His career there required several relocations, leading him across the country and back. He has worked in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Boston as an area sales manger and in Baltimore as a District sales manager, focusing on nuclear power and coal-fired energy plants.

When E.G. Smith was acquired by Cyclops corporation, he moved to Los Angeles were he filled duties as sales manager for the Western United States. In 1989, he joined Mitsubishi Chemicals as national sales manager and moved to Virginia Beach, receiving successive promotions to Business Development Manager and International Sales Manager with territories in South America and Europe. In 2002 he “retired” and started his own consulting firm representing several manufacturing concerns in the non-residential construction materials industry. Lee has always enjoyed helping bring architect’s concepts into being and contributing to the built environment.

Lee still lives in Virginia Beach and looks forward to hearing from his former classmates at [email protected].

Thanks Lee Fry ’60 for making us Warrior Proud.