George Lee

It's been fun growing up in the West End, both as a kid and as an adult. Back in the day, we had the Regal Theater, the State Theater, plenty of restaurants, Lincoln Recreation Center, and boys’ clubs. We had it all down there. So it's been a pleasure.

That's me in the photo as a teenager, around 17, with one of my neighbor's friends—my girlfriend's little brother. That photo reminds me of going to Taft High School and Porter Middle School, and just having a ball in the West End. We had plenty to do back then, and to me, that’s what a good community is.

My sister and I were raised by a single father. Our mom died when we were young—I was five and my sister was two. He raised us down here, and we were all connected. People in the courts looked out for one another. People need to know that Lincoln Courts was a great place to live, even though it had a so-called negative image as 'the hood.'

That photo reflects how much fun we had. It was all about family, and we stuck together. My dad was one of the few fathers in the courts raising his kids alone, and that was a big thing.