Des Lee in his office, behind him is the hanger invention his business was founded upon. Courtesy / UMSL

Last Tuesday, while middle and high school students filled the Touhill for the Des Lee Big Band Jazz Festival, the university’s flag flew at half staff in remembrance of the life of philanthropist E. Desmond “Des” Lee, who died earlier that morning at the age of 92.

“He loved that festival,” Chancellor Tom George said. “He loved big bands, he loved jazz. One of his favorite tunes was ‘When the Saints go Marching in.’”

A World War II veteran, Des Lee was also a successful businessman who “started from scratch and built his own business” in Jackson, Mo. after the war, said George. By the time he sold his business, the company was worth over $80 million.

But for Des, giving away his money seemed to make him far happier than spending it.

“He’s given away, clearly, when you count the dollars, nearly $80 million, so he must have made at least that much from his company,” George said.

“He always used to tell me, ‘I’ve given all my money away!’”

Specifically, Des gave a significant amount of his money to the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The veteran contributed over $14 million to establish 19 endowed professorships and operate the Des Lee Collaborative Vision, underwrite scholarships such as the Des Lee Scholars program, and support construction on the Technology and Learning Center as well as the Touhill Performing Arts Center on campus.

His service in WWII might have something to do with his deep connection to UM-St. Louis, considering his alma mater is actually Washington University. During the war, Des led a unit of all African-American soldiers and would often talk of the discrimination he witnessed, which had a lasting effect on him.

“We serve more underprivileged and disadvantaged students than anyone else, we have the largest diversity population, [and] we have the largest group of African-Americans of any campus in the state, so the kind of campus we were, he empathized with. He saw us as a kind of hope to the St. Louis region … he identified with that, and wanted to nurture that,” George said.

Des Lee’s passion in life was education, his director for the Des Lee Collaborative Vision and good friend, Steffanie Rockette, said.

“He made his money the old fashioned way—through hard work—and education had made a major difference in his life,” Rockette said. “He believed that every good kid deserves a chance at education … he believed that regardless of wrong-doing, that people are good, and education was hope. He loved all of us.”

Des Lee has been called “the man of 20 questions.” Not only did he strive to ensure education for anyone who wanted it, he also had an insatiable appetite for learning.

“When he first met you he would ask you all these questions … and they were genuine, he really wanted to know about your life,” Rockette said.

All of Des’ closest friends refer to him as a “people-person,” someone who loved life, and loved to be engaged. That is possibly why Des wanted to start the innovative Des Lee Collaborative Vision, consisting of endowed professors who are required to spend exactly half of their time engaging and working with the disadvantaged in the community.

Des would often have lunch meetings with the endowed professors just to find out how their community work was going, while preferring an informal setting. Rockette, who frequently planned the meetings, said Des required three things at every luncheon: “an Arnold Palmer, chocolate chip cookies, and decaf coffee.”

Des Lee essentially loved engaging and meeting new people, especially children. Rockette recalled a “beautiful sunny day” when a group of disadvantaged kids, through a program sponsored by Des Lee, were trying out their newly built go-carts. Des was called to stop by and view the proceedings, but would not be satisfied by just watching. Standing at 6-foot-5-inches, Des squeezed himself in a tiny go-cart with a 9th-grade girl.

“She drove off like a maniac with Des in the passenger’s seat,” Rockette said, “and he was waiving and having the best time of his life. That’s the Des I know.”

Des Lee’s memorial service was held Thursday, and Chancellor George, Steffanie Rockette, Blanche Touhill, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and his wife Mary Anne and three children were only a few of the near-500 people who packed the church in his memory. At the end, just as Des would have liked it, the congregation marched out of the church singing “When the Saints go Marching in.”

“Des was one for the ages,” Rockette said, “one that I dare say we will never see the likes of again.”