Broadcast Pioneers member Dr. Charles Lee, professor of English, author and cultural arts critic, passed away on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 1:30 am from complications associated with a brain tumor. He had also suffered a stroke. He died at his Lower Merion home with his wife, Ruth at his side.





The Levy twins had a younger brother Abner who stayed in Philadelphia became hugely successful in real estate. Somewhere along the line, Charles decided to shorten his last name to Lee.

Just out of the University of Pennsylvania undergraduate school, twins David and Charles enrolled in graduate school at Penn. In September of 1934, Charles also took on teaching duties at the college. In that class was a freshman by the name of Eddie Felbin. Ed said, "Dr. Charles Lee was probably the best English teacher I ever had and I had a lot of them." You may know Felbin better by his air name of "Frank Ford." Broadcast Pioneers member Ford co-owned "The Valley Forge Music Fair" and was a local radio talk show host for many years. Married to Philadelphia's District Attorney, Lynne Abraham, Frank said that he and his wife would often run into the Lees at concerts, the theater and parties. While at Penn, he worked his way up to Director of Undergraduate Journalism and Vice-Dean of the college's Annenberg School of Communication.

Known for his brilliance, Charles has always been a likable guy. For a short while, Charles moved to Boston to work for the Boston Herald as Book Editor. While there, he married a young lady named Erma Carp from a prominent New England family. In his late twenties, he decided to return to his hometown in 1940 to work as Literary Editor for the Philadelphia Record newspaper, owned by David Stern. After that time, he would always call Philadelphia his home.

After the Second World War, Dr. Lee would again become an instructor of English Literature at the school, a position he would hold for five decades. It was at that time, he decided to go for his Ph.D at Penn, a degree he would receive several years later. When the Philadelphia Record folded in February of 1947, Lee went to the Evening Bulletin along with many of his writer friends from the Stern publication.



In 1965, Dr. Charles Lee was involved in broadcasting and had started doing commentary at WCAU, both radio and TV. The afternoon radio news air staff included Broadcast Pioneers member John Facenda, Mike Stanley, George Lord, John Clough, Broadcast Pioneers member Taylor Grant and Dr. Charles Lee. Their Sports Director was a young guy named Andy Musser (also a member of the Broadcast Pioneers) and Chris Wheeler (fresh from Penn State) did morning traffic reports.







Dr. Lee then went to WFLN Radio owned at that time by former Broadcast Pioneers President Ray Green. His interview program aired there for more than a decade until the station switched from its classical music format in 1997. His wife Ruth Lee said that each new owner kept cutting his salary until he was only making a hundred dollars a week. However, Charles Lee kept on going because he loved what he did.







Broadcast Pioneers member Vince Leonard, former KYW-TV News Anchor said, "I knew him as a man of great intelligence with an engaging personality. Charles also fit in as 'one of the guys' and had a wonderful sense of humor. His accomplishments in life are well-known and he will be missed and remembered by so many."