Lee Holst is being buried today. He was like a brother to me and a good friend to many of you who attended Bane-Clene conventions and schools over the years. I met Lee on February 22, 1974 at our company's first convention. He represented Indiana Bell Telephone Co., and was there to talk with us about the importance of a good yellow pages program.
He came to every one of our conventions after that and became more than just a business acquaintance. We became best friends for life. Many of our customers knew he managed the Yellow Pages in Indiana and probably remember him as a superb Master of Ceremonies at conventions or from his appearances at our school. But his life was much more than that.
I learned things about Lee that many don't know. For example, the "A" stood for Aubrey and the man flew 35 missions on B-17's with the 8th Air Force over Germany in WWII. Jimmy Stewart, the famous actor, flew a mission with him and he once played trombone with Glen Miller's band in London. He was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters for bravery under enemy fire.
Lee drove race cars after the war and did a radio show about the sport. He headed up the 7,000 member National Auto Racing Club for 46 years and received numerous awards from famous race drivers and Tony Hulman and Tony George, presidents of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was like an encyclopedia of funny stories. One year at convention I asked our audience to take turns and shout out a word, any word, and Lee would tell a joke about it. He did it, too.
He was one of the most generous people I've ever met. When we caught our advertising agency padding our bill we fired them. Lee urged us to start our own in-house ad agency. He even came up with the name Media Associates and got it recognized throughout the Bell system which benefited us and many of our customers. He lectured our classes for many years on advertising and especially the value of Yellow Pages. He truly loved the job he held for 39 years.
Lee always had a joke to tell and would probably have a good one right now. I wish I had one, but I don't feel like laughing. It was an honor and a privilege to have known this man.
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