Shirley Lee

Shirley Lee Inducted Into the Women Divers Hall of Fame and She Is Currently An Inductee In the Alexandria African American Hall of Fame

Shirley Lee Inducted Into the Women Divers Hall of Fame Meadowlands, New Jersey, March 28

Shirley Lee will be inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame as a pioneer in sport diving and a leader in the development of organizations to serve African-American and Black sport divers.  The members of the Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) are an elite group that includes the most notable women leaders and innovators in the diving community. The goal of the organization is to recognize and honor, while raising public awareness of these women’s exceptional contributions. 

WDHOF supports the underwater world and its associated careers by promoting opportunities for women and men in diving through scholarships, training grants and mentorship opportunities and a worldwide network of industry contacts.   There are currently 238 Members in the Women Divers Hall of Fame, hailing from 30 U.S. states and Territories and 20 countries worldwide. 

Shirley Lee will be inducted at the Awards Banquet at the Beneath the Sea dive show.  “Shirley Lee was and is a role model for me as a women and a diver.  She overcame gender and racial bias to become a leader in the sport diving community,” Anne Giesecke, Ph.D. a member of WDHOF congratulated Ms. Lee.   

An active diver in the 1960’s, Shirley Lee was a pioneer African-American woman diver.  She was the first female member of the Underwater Adventure Seekers and helped to organize the National Association of Black SCUBA Divers.   Jay Haigler commented that, “Ms. Lee inspired both my wife and I for different reasons.  She inspired me with her enthusiasm and passion for diving.  She inspired my wife by being a lifetime advocate for water sports, sport diving and the ocean.” 

The National Association of Black SCUBA Divers (NABS) (SCUBA is Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.) was founded in 1991, has over 3,000 members and has formed more than fifty dive clubs in the United States and around the world.   Membership is open to anyone regardless of race, color, gender, handicap, or diving agency affiliation.  NABS is open to all who share a love of the oceans and of the marine world and are pledged to protect, enjoy and help to conserve the marine environment.  A leader in the community, A. José Jones, Ph.D. noted that “For more than a half-century Ms. Lee has served as a diver advocate and an example for girls, women and minority women wanting to become sport divers.” 

The first Black member of WDHOF was Ella Jean Morgan (deceased).  Ms. Morgan was inducted in 2000.   She was an educator, lecturer, photographer and author.  She was a NAUI/Los Angeles County instructor-trainer, a cavern/cave diver, and co-owner of Morgan/O’Neill Underwater Company in Southern California.  Ms. Morgan was a former instructor, department chair and administrator at the College of Oceaneering, a commercial diving school in California, for almost 20 years.