A longtime leader and advocate for people who are blind or visually impaired, Mr. Lee, who passed away earlier this month at age 89, served on The Lighthouse’s Board for 20 years (including a term as president from 1985 to 1987) and was instrumental in expanding its products, programs, and services.

Mr. Lee was deeply involved in developing assistive technology to aid people who, like himself, were visually impaired. He helped develop some of the first functional closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems for people with low vision and introduced large-print accessibility software to The Lighthouse before it became commercially available. In addition, Mr. Lee was president of the Power Engineering Institute of Technology from 1984 to 2000. He also managed construction and renovation projects for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. He used that experience to help secure a piece of property that enabled The Lighthouse to add 40,000 square feet of program space, nearly doubling the building’s footprint.

Mayor Harold Washington (right) joins Milt Samuelson (left), Dan Lee (center), and Marca Brisco (seated) for the dedication of the elevator, circa 1984–85.

After his tenure on The Chicago Lighthouse’s Board, Mr. Lee served as Director of Chicago Lighthouse Industries from 1996 to 2001. During his tenure, he helped modernize The Lighthouse’s clock assembly operations and helped the division expand its product lines. Following his retirement, Mr. Lee remained actively involved with The Chicago Lighthouse as a consultant and board member emeritus.

In addition to his work for The Lighthouse, Mr. Lee served as vice president of the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation from 2003 to 2008.

“Dan was an incredibly talented person and one of the architects of the modern Chicago Lighthouse,” said Lighthouse President and CEO Janet P. Szlyk, Ph.D. “He helped shape our organization, and we honor the lasting legacy he leaves behind.”