Mr. Lee

This is a commission of Mr. Robert H. Lee, a lifelong philanthropist and businessman known to many as ‘Mr. UBC.’  Being an encouragement to others, and gaining an excellent education was very important to him.  According to the current president of the University of British Columbia, Mr. Lee was instrumental in transforming UBC from a commuter campus into the world-leading university that it is today.

​This was a fun sculpture to do.  I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Lee on several occasions over the years and once you met him, you will never forget him!  To be able to capture who he was, and especially his wonderful smile was a pleasure.  The thing I remember most about Mr. Lee was that he made you feel like a friend, whenever you met him.  I remember sitting in on a lunch meeting with some of the top people involved in the process and Mr. Lee was serving me and introducing me to the others just like he would an old friend.  He was a highly successful businessman and had every reason to be proud, but there was no pretension in him.  It was once said of him, “He proved that you don’t have to be a jerk to get ahead.”  I can personally testify that he was a lovely man.

I took photos of Mr. Lee and began work, taking his own requests for how he wanted the bronze commission to look.  Sadly, before I finished the sculpture, he passed away. 
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It was a great honour to sculpt Mr. Lee and to be able to work with his family.  They are wonderful people and I very much enjoyed this commission!