Kenneth F Conklin - NORVEL: An American Hero

Based on true events,Norvel: An American Hero, is a meticulously researched story about a remarkable man.

NORVEL tells a fascinating story that has been too long overlooked about how a country kid from the Blue Ridge Mountains rose to become an Olympic boxer, battling both opponents and racial discrimination along the way. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to know the stories that werent told during the Jim Crow era.

Dwayne Yancey, editorial page editor, The Roanoke Times

Ken Conklins book on Norvel Lee is in a league by itself. We have all heard the names of the greatest boxers, but without Ken bringing this great American to the spotlight he deserves... Norvel Lee might have been the forgotten athlete of the twentieth century. Norvel Lee touched all the bases Veteran Mentor and Leader. This book is a must read for all generations.

Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, USN (Retired), Author of Pirate

Alley Commanding Task Force 151 off the Coast of Somalia

I was moved to tears, not only by the incredible story, but by the care and attention paid to do justice to the memory of a great man. Norvel Lee was a giant in stature and in heart - the definition of a gentleman and a scholar. He was also the best grandpa a kid could ask for.

Reverend Danielle K. Anderson, Norvel Lees granddaughter

Conklin has written a compelling tale about an honest Black man who fought gracefully amid chronically dishonest institutions and times. Students of boxing and history alike will find in Norvel familiar adversaries in the protagonists myriad bouts with the status quo and racismand theyll likewise be floored by Norvels unique display of magnanimity in confronting each. Norvels life is chronicled with a measure of humility that not only captures the character of this incredible man, but also accentuates the sheer magnitude of his accomplishments both inside and outside of the ring.

David S. Mitchell, author of We Hold These Truths

NORVEL tells the remarkable story of Norvel Lee who challenged Jim Crow and earned gold in the Olympics. Lee, a native of Botetourt County, Virginia, lived a life of immense significance that is detailed in Ken Conklins novel that combines solid prose with meticulous research. Conklin has provided a highly engaging read about a man too long overlooked...until now.

Nelson Harris, Pastor of Height Community Church; former Mayor of Roanoke, Virginia; author of many books, most recently The Roanoke Valley In The 1940s

Chapin Keith Publishing

Copyright 2020 by Kenneth F. Conklin LLC

All rights reserved

Grateful acknowledgement is made to:

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee for permission to use the photo of the 1952 USA boxing team.

The Sports Museum Finland for permission to use photos from the

The XV Olympiad Official Report, Helsinki, 1952.

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Conklin, Kenneth F., author.

Title: Norvel / Kenneth F. Conklin.

Description: Includes bibliographical references. | Daleville, VA:

Kenneth F. Conklin LLC, 2020.

Identifiers: LCCN: 2020901350 | ISBN 978-1-7344807-0-2 (Hardcover) | 978-1-7344807-2-6 (Paperback) | 978-1-7344807-3-3 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH Lee, Norvel L. R.--Fiction. | African American boxers--Fiction. | Boxers (Sports)--Fiction. | Boxing--United States--History--20th century--Fiction. | United States--Race relations--History--20th century--Fiction. |

Olympics--History--Fiction. | Educators--Fiction. | United States. Army Air Forces-History--Fiction. | African American air pilots--History--Fiction. | BISAC FICTION / Historical / General | FICTION / Sports | FICTION / African American / Historical

Classification: LCC PS3603.O5343 N67 2020 | DDC 813.6--dc23

This work of fiction is based on true events. Names, characters, places, and incidents derived from those events are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover and book design by Asya Blue

Front cover photo: Norvel Lee displaying his fighting form to his students. UPI TELEPHOTO - 7/15/59

Back cover photo: Norvel Lee and Leslie Jackson driving around Washington. Ebony 2/1/51

First Paperback Edition

Visit the authors website at www.kennethfconklin.com

In respectful memory of Georgia Meadows, Roger Terry, and all of the dedicated Jim Crow era teachers.

PROLOGUE

January 4, 1949Alleghany County Courthouse, Covington, Virginia

J udge Earl L. Abbott convened the Alleghany County Circuit Court to rule on a case regarding an incident that occurred on September 14, 1948, at the train station in Covington, Virginia.

On that day a man boarded the Chesapeake & Ohios daily train No. 310 from Covington to Clifton Forge and took a seat in the area reserved for white passengers. An employee of the train asked him to move to the section set aside for colored travelers, but the tall, muscular man refused.

The Alleghany County sheriff, summoned by employees of the C&O Railroad Company, came onto the train and ordered the man to move to the colored section. Again, he refused. The sheriff then told him he would either have to take a seat in the colored section or get off the train. The man left the train, went to the ticket office, canceled his trip to Clifton Forge, and purchased a ticket for transportation from Covington to Washington, D.C. He reboarded the train and sat down in the same seat. The sheriff placed him under arrest for violating Virginia Code 3983, which stated that refusing to sit in segregated seating was a misdemeanor.

The man was booked and held in jail until a $250 bond was arranged later that day. On October 7, he was convicted of the misdemeanor by Alleghany County trial court Judge R. E. Dyche and fined $5. The man appealed the decision.

Now, with Judge Abbott presiding, the Commonwealth of Virginia, represented by T. Moore Butler, Esquire, presented its case by calling a series of witnesses, including C&O Conductor S. L. Lockhart, Brakeman R. H. Brisendine, and W. P. Henderson, the sheriff of Alleghany County. Their collective testimony supported the facts that a Negro man had boarded a train in Covington, Virginia, traveling the short route to Clifton Forge, Virginia, and took a seat in the white section of a segregated passenger railcar. Additionally, it was shown that the conductor, Mr. Lockhart, had observed him in the white section the previous day going to Covington.

After Butler presented the Commonwealths case, Martin A. Martin, a Black attorney from the civil rights law firm of Hill, Martin, and Robinson of Richmond, Virginia, was asked to present the argument for appeal. He called his only witness, the defendant, to the stand.

Dressed in a double-breasted gray suit and a reserved dark necktie resting on a crisp white shirt, the man walked with an athletes quiet grace to the front of the courtroom. After being sworn in, he took a seat at the witness stand. Mr. Martin, slight and conservatively dressed, approached him, a congenial smile on his face.

He looked at his client and asked, Your name is Norvel Lee?

Lee responded, Yes, sir, it is.

Where do you live, Mr. Lee?

Uh, uh, said Lee, trying to compose himself, I live in Washington, D.C., now.

What are you doing there in Washington?

Uh, uh, I am a student at Howard University, Lee said, trying not to stammer.