James “Lee” Everett, III

On November 12, 2018, James LeGrand Everett, III (nicknamed Lee) passed away at the age of 92.

Lee was born in Charlotte, NC, the only child of James L. Everett, Jr. and Charlotte Keesler Everett. He grew up in North Carolina and Washington, DC before enlisting in the Navy during WW2. He joined the V-12 program and attended the University of North Carolina and then Penn State University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Lee also received a master’s degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

In 1950, Lee joined Philadelphia Electric Company as a junior engineer and worked there for 38 years. During his career, Lee was recognized for his engineering achievements and contributions to the local community. In 1961, he was named “Outstanding Young Man of the Year’ by the Philadelphia Junior Chamber of Commerce. Temple University honored him in 1963, with an award for “Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Engineering Technology” and he received a “Distinguished Alumnus Award” from Penn State. In 1972, Lee was named “Engineer of the Year in the Delaware Valley.” In 1982, Lee was elected Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Office of PECO and remained in the position until his retirement in 1988. Upon entering retirement in Vero Beach Florida, he served as Chairman to the Vero Beach Utility Advisory Board.

Lee was active in many professional engineering organizations including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Nuclear Society, the Atomic Industrial Forum, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, and the National Academy of Engineering.

Lee served on the board of trustees of Drexel University, CoreStates Financial Corporation, Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Tasty Baking Company and Martin Marietta Corporation. Lee also served on numerous community organizations including Boy Scouts of America, Chester County Council, the YMCA of Philadelphia, and United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and he helped establish the Philadelphia High School Academies Program for high risk students. Lee endowed the “J. Lee Everett Professorship in Engineering” at Penn State to support the nuclear engineering faculty and students.

He is survived by two of his three sons, James L, IV, and John K; 5 grandchildren, Corinne, Katy, Johnny, Deirdre and James N.

Lee was predeceased by his beloved wife of 62 years, Marjorie Scherf Everett; his second wife of 3 years, Judith Ann Bernstein; and son, Christopher G. Everett.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County, 6230 77th St, Vero Beach, FL 32967.