(Seguin) — The efforts and contributions of a deeply respected educator in the Seguin ISD will forever be preserved.
The Seguin ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved the renaming of the Mercer-Blumberg Learning Center’s portion of the district’s administration building to the Jack Lee Learning Center. Lee died on Aug. 18, 2019 at the age of 66.
After a month of soliciting name nominations from the community, trustees voted to honor the late educator who spent over 35 years in local classrooms. The board’s decision was made final after receiving 16 official nominations on his behalf.
Among those submitting a nomination was former student Mariaelena Ramirez Boyle. Currently a surgery resident at the University of Michigan, Boyle writes, “Early in my academic career, Mr. Lee gave me the grace to complete my work when I navigated some difficult situations at home. He encouraged me to continue with my education, and to prioritize it despite the barriers in front of me.”
Mike Gonzales, Seguin High School head baseball coach, was also among those who felt compelled to continue Lee’s legacy. Having now returned to the district as a coach, Gonzales says he better understands the importance of building lifelong relationships with students.
In his nomination, Gonzales writes, “Mr. Lee was the epitome of what it means to be a Seguin Matador. Fearless, empathetic, giving and living to serve a purpose greater than oneself, Mr. Lee always made it a priority to invest in the future through students. I believe there is no one more deserving and fitting.”
Helping to officially honor his name through her work on the school board was Trustee Denise Crettenden. Crettenden says for many students, Lee was their saving grace.
“First of all, as one of those people who was blessed to have Mr. Lee as a teacher, I can assure you that I would not be here without him and he inspired a whole generation of Seguin kids to get involved in their community and to care about what happens in their community and if everybody has at least one teacher like Jack Lee, the world would be better for it,” said Crettenden.
Adding to the conversation was Trustee Linda Duncan. Duncan spoke on how Lee’s impact in the classroom also made for a better community.
“One thing to me that stands out about Jack Lee is that he loved this community and like you said, he taught a whole generation of our students to care about civics and to care about their community. One big thing that I saw just from being involved in the community, being involved in different groups is he would be the go to person if we needed volunteers and he was always looking for opportunities to get our students involved in the community and so many community service hours have been done and it wouldn’t have happened without him and so, I salute that about him and this is a way to keep his memory alive and a way to show that being involved in civics and your community is important. It’s a lifelong skill and we are all better because of Jack Lee,” said Duncan.
Prior to last night’s action, two Seguin ISD facilities were named Mercer-Blumberg. The first was located on the south corner of the district’s administration building at 1212 E. Kingsbury St. District officials say the property currently serves as meeting space, offices, and storage.
The second building is a space at 118 N. Bowie St., which officially operates as the Mercer-Blumberg Learning Center at Saegert.
Other names pulling in one or two nominations each included Jeff Cockrum, Vickie DeLaRosa, Charlie Koehler, John Robert Edward Lee Sr.. Maekalyn Ann-Marie Smith. and the Matador Learning Center. Representatives of the Lincoln/Ball High School Alumni Association also joined the meeting and shared their suggestion of Henry Franklin Wilson, along with their desire to preserve the name Lizzie M. Burges.
Crettenden says she appreciates all those who submitted nominations and even encouraged the district to find more ways to honor deserving individuals.
“I think we’ve gotten a little bit behind in the Seguin ISD. We have a chance to name a lot of things. There are parts of buildings and buildings and fields and all kinds of things that could be named so that future generations understand the amazing people who gave things to this community — people who were on the board and did big things. People who were educators and community members and supporters. We have the chance to do that and I would like to see us be very intentional in community up with some opportunities very soon so that even more of these people and other people can be honored,” said Crettenden.
The next step for the district will be to work on signage and the future rededication of the space.