BRUNSWICK – Frances Cook Lee, Founder and first President of the Chappaqua Historical Society and Town Historian Emeritus of the Town of New Castle, N.Y. (Chappaqua) died Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, in Brunswick, Maine. She was 96.

She received the Tomahawk Award from the Westchester County Historical Society for the editorship and publication of the two volume “Historical Records of the Town of North Castle / New Castle 1731-1791” and “New Castle 1791-1850.” The volumes were designated the prototype for town histories by the Association of Towns of the State of New York.

Mrs. Lee served as chairman of the Bicentennial Committee of the Town of New Castle, N.Y. 1975 and as chairman of the Washington – Rochambeau March in the State of New York in 1981.

She was born August 5, 1923 in Cleveland, the daughter of Harley Stephen Cook and Blanche Irene Brady Cook. She graduated from Wellesley College in the War Class, 1941-1945 and from the Management Training Program, HRPBA, of the Harvard Business School. At the age of 57 she earned an MLS, Beta Phi Mu, Information and Library Science from Long Island University.

She served as the assistant director of admissions at Wellesley College until she married Clendon Hunt Lee and moved to Peter Cooper Village in New York City where she was an assistant personnel manager of Blue Cross Blue Shield, in New York City.

She served as vice president of the New York Wellesley Club and organized the Junior Wellesley Club.

With her husband and three children she moved to Chappaqua, N.Y. in 1954 where she became active in community activities. Board memberships included Westchester County Historical Society, Wellesley Clubs in Westchester N.Y. and Portland, the

Junior League Westchester and Portland. She was a member of The National Society of Colonial Dames in New York, board member in Portland. She was a member of the Mayflower Society.

Mrs. Lee published several articles for the “Westchester Historian” including “Horace Greeley, The Opening of the 1872 Presidential Campaign at Chappaqua.” From 1980 -1985 she prepared unique atlases for several Westchester towns reviewed by Betsy Brown in the New York Times.

For 20 years she was a member of the Altar Guild of St. Marks Church, Mt. Kisco, N.Y. From 1981 until 1991 she served as the director of the Somers Library and was active on the committee to computerize the 38 Westchester County Libraries.

After retiring to Brunswick in 1992 she voluntered at the Maine Historical Society cataloging early Maine maps and preparing a bibliography of the society’s holdings of documents of The Northeast Boundary of the United States. She served on the Board of the Friends of Bowdoin College.

Mrs. Lee was predeceased by her husband of 43 years, Clendon Hunt Lee; and by her elder son, Clendon Hunt Lee Jr.

She is survived by her daughter, Alethea Frances Lee of Peekskill, N.Y.; and by her son, Harley Cook Lee of Jamestown, R.l. and by his sons, Travis Sarles Lee and Jackson Hunt Lee.

A reception will be held at Thornton Oaks Retirement Community, Brunswick on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. Internment will be at St. Marks Church Columbarium, Mt. Kisco, N.Y. on Feb., 2 at 3 p.m. Arrangements are under the care of Funeral Alternatives, 46 Bath Rd. Brunswick, Maine. Condolences may be expressed at www.funeralalternatives.net 

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