Sunday, May 31, 2009

Desperately Seeking George....
George P. Lee

So for those of you who don't know, my dissertation research centers on the Mormon Church's Indian Placement Program, 1947-1996. I've done most my research and am just getting a few interviews and re-visiting a couple archival sources regarding the decline of the program in the 1970s and 1980s. One person I still need to find and interview is George P. Lee, the Navajo who was the poster child for the placement program, testified to Congress about its value, served as a mission president and then general authority (first Indian general authority) until his excommunication in the late 1980s. Nobody knows for sure why he was excommunicated--it could have been his remarks challenging the Church authorities and criticizing the phasing out of Indian programs, or it could have been the child molestation charges that later surfaced (along with his conviction). Regardless, he is a central player in the placement program history and I need to find him. Last I heard he was in Saint George. Does anybody know where I can fid him?