Pamela O'Neal Lee

After I graduated from East, I attended Ricks College (BYU-I) and then BYU where I met my wonderful husband. We married and became parents of 2 amazing boys. After my husband graduated from BYU we moved to Southeast New Mexico. There I took a jobs as a center Director for KinderCare Learning Center. I was transferred with KinderCare to a center in West Texas and then to the East Texas area. It is in the East Texas area that we planted our roots. I’ve lived in Texas longer than I’ve lived in Utah. So you can say I’m a transplanted Texan. My accent however, is a mix of both.

We are grandparents to 7 wonderful grandchildren. 5 grandsons and 2 granddaughters. Boys seem to be in the majority in the Lee household. However each grandchild brings with them a unique and wonderful personality and to our family.

As my boys got older, it was time for me to go back to teaching. So I got 2 Texas certifications. One for Pre-K and kindergarten, the other for 1st-6th grades. I have taught grades 1st and 5th. While teaching at my assigned campus, I was informed that my campus was going to open up a Head Start classroom (federal pre-k program). I have always had a desire to work with young learners, so I applied for that position and spent the next 22 years teaching pre-k until my retirement.

After we became empty nesters, I decided to get my masters degree in Educational Learning and Curriculum. Getting my masters was always something on my buck list. 🙌🏻

One of my favorite memories was the A’Cappella trip to Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York City. It was such a wonderful trip with many unforgettable memories.

One of our stops was to the Arlington National Cemetery. Because we were going to perform, we were dressed in our dark blue long dresses and dark suits. Several choir members reported that they overheard tourists commenting that we must but be a Mormon group. Not by the way we were behaving, which was proper and respectful but by our dress, long dresses and suits.