Wherever students at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, were, security guard and coach Vernon Lee was too.
He greeted students as they arrived in the morning, and made sure to be present for almost all of lunch. At the end of the day, he spent time near the bus loop, ensuring dismissal went smoothly. He invited friendly conversation and offered students someone other than a teacher or counselor to confide in.
Junior Taneya Anderson found out Lee was killed in a car crash last week while scrolling on Instagram. Many of her friends and peers posted about it. They were shocked.
“Everywhere you looked, it was Mr. Lee,” Anderson said. “Whether it was in the cafeteria, you’re walking into school. I walk into school, I don’t see Mr. Lee. I go to lunch, I don’t see Mr. Lee. It’s very sad for all of us.”
Lee worked as a security guard for more than 10 years, and also coached girls basketball. He loved football, too, Anderson said, which prompted her to launch a petition urging the school board to rename Freedom’s football field in Lee’s honor. It has more than 3,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.
“There will never be another Mr. Lee,” Anderson said. “He was always there for every single one of us. Always kept us out of trouble, always kept our heads high, always made sure that we aimed for more than what we could ever imagine for ourselves. I felt as though starting this petition to get the conversation of renaming the field was very important to honor him.”
Virginia State Police said Lee was killed in a crash along Interstate 95 in Prince William County last week. He was in a Lexus SUV on the right shoulder of the express lanes when a Ford F-250 veered off the right side of the road and hit it. Police said Lee was wearing a seat belt and died at the scene. A female passenger was seriously injured and hospitalized.
Lee’s son, Vershon Lee, played football at the University of South Carolina, and Anderson described him as a big fan of the sport. Renaming the field won’t bring him back, she said, but will offer “the feeling that we’re doing something so that he will be remembered.”
Lee was easy to talk to and students felt they could confide in him, Anderson said.
“You never had to worry about being judged,” Anderson said.
A school system spokeswoman said the division isn’t aware of the petition. The school board ultimately has to vote to approve a name change to a school facility.
“A lot of staff members at my school have come to us saying that they will help us go to the school board,” Anderson said. “That’s still in the works, still is a process, but it’s getting there.”
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