Dr. Crystal Lee began her educational career in 1984 as a Special Education Instructional Aide for Wayne RESA. When the Detroit Public Schools took over the special education program in 1998, her position changed to a Special Education Trainable Aide. While she worked as a Special Education Aide, she pursued her dream of becoming a teacher and in the fall of 2009, she accepted a position at Detroit Transition Center West as a Special Education Teacher for students with severe cognitive impairments. The following year DTC West merged with DTC East to become the Charles R. Drew Transition Center, where Crystal remained for the rest of her teaching career.
Her union activism was evident early on in her career, where she served as union steward for AFSCME Local 345, a position she held for eleven years. After her move to the Detroit Federation of Teachers, she was elected as the building representative for Drew. From 2013-2018 Crystal ran for a position on the DFT Election Committee, then in 2020 she successfully ran for the Executive Board. She was recently reelected to her third term.
Crystal enrolled in the doctoral program and finished her coursework in Winter 2022 and defended her dissertation proposal in Summer 2023, which was tentatively titled “Parents’ Education Experiences of Learning for Postsecondary Students with Profound Intellectual Disabilities in Detroit, Michigan During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic”. Unfortunately, she was not able to complete her dissertation, but Wayne State University presented her with an honorary doctoral degree in 2024.
Crystal leaves behind her two sons, Michael Wilson, Jr, and Christian Clark; nine grandchildren, one great-granddaughter; three sisters, Diana Lee (Terry), Audrey Lee, and Michelle Lee; one brother, Herbert Lee, Jr.; nieces, nephews, extended family, and her colleagues at Drew and the DFT. Preceding Crystal in death were her parents, her loving son, DeWayne Lee, and three siblings: Belinda Humes, Velveeta Lee, and Gregory Lee.
Crystal’s legacy will never be forgotten and in her own words, “I lived a good life.”
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