Lee B. Szambecki ’98, Bond #1626

The Early Years
Lee was born in Kent, Ohio to parents Tony & Diana. Tony is an owner operator of a restaurant franchise throughout Ohio, and Diana was a stay at home mother who now spends much of her time on philanthropic pursuits when not in Florida at their winter home.

Lee grew up in Kent with his brother and sister, but they spent summers in a small sailing town of Vermilion, on the south shore of Lake Erie. As the son of a sailor, Lee was sailing while still in diapers, spending his summers on the lake, which further encouraged his love for the water. Sailing became a competitive pursuit through high school and helped lead Lee to his choice of Ohio Wesleyan.

Ohio Wesleyan
After graduating from Walsh Jesuit High School in Stow, Ohio, in 1994, Lee was considering an interesting mix of universities. He wanted a school within a few hours of home, good academic reputation, and not too close to his parents to worry about any “surprise visits”. He was also looking for a school that offered a Collegiate Sailing Program, which coupled with acceptance, were his main criteria. Ohio Wesleyan, at the time, was the only school in Ohio with a Varsity Sailing program. All other schools only had club teams. The next thing Lee knew he was starting classes in the fall of 1994 at OWU.

Freshman year found Lee rooming with Aaron Seil ’98, a fellow Beta pledge in Smith Hall. They were friends growing up in Vermilion, where their parents were summer neighbors, and who learned over the summer of 1994 that both planned to attend Ohio Wesleyan. Lee is still very good friends with Aaron Seil, who is now a financial planner in Stow Ohio, where he lives with his lovely wife Kristen.

Those first few months were a little bit of a blur, between the academics, sailing schedule, and the social evenings around campus. Lee majored in Economics Management, with a minor in Accounting. He also continued to sail all four years at Ohio Wesleyan, lettering every year and acting as Team Captain for three years.

Pledging Beta
Lee attributes his bid to Beta really to his close friendship with Aaron Seil. Aaron was able to help highlight some of Lee’s good qualities to the older brothers while playing down his self described “abrasive side”. The laid back nature and eclectic style of the active brothers at the house appealed to Lee, and the next thing he knew he was standing next to a pledge class of 12 (School President Tom Courtice was an honorary 13th member of his class, although according to Lee he missed most of the pledge events).

Some of Lee’s fondest memories of the house are having 10 to 15 brothers join the sailing course, for which Lee was responsible for assigning grades. Intramurals, floor wars at 9 Williams Drive, “Now” events down by the stream, and so many other fond memories, all involving Theta Beta’s in some way. One other fond memory was around spring break sophomore year while in Mexico with brothers Levi Levingston ’97, Jason Weinstein ’97, and Ben Harrison ’98. Lee’s parents had purchased a vacation home on Captiva Island, Florida and the next year it became a spring break destination for about 20 brothers and pledges.

Then every year since, it continues as a spring break destination for a handful of the Theta Beta’s, including Ben, Levi along with Jeff Gallo ’96, Ramsy Majoub ’98, and Mike Dowgiewicz ’98. It was on one of these spring breaks, post undergrad, that Lee met his future wife Kathryn Reilly. They were married in 2006 on Captiva, following Katie’s graduation from Miami of Ohio in 2005.

After OWU….Marriage, Family and Career
After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan Lee began working in Cleveland for Charter One Bank, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Lee still works today as VP of Management Information for Business Banking for RBS Citizens, N.A. He also earned a Masters in Business Administration from the Weatherhead School at Case Western Reserve in 2003.

Lee and Katie currently are living in Vermilion with their two children, Liam age 2, and Irene who will be 6 months old in February. Katie and Lee still enjoy getting out on the water or down to Florida with the family, when not busy working or spending time with their
family.

Lee keeps in touch with many of his brothers, and he can be reached at 5048 Park Dr, Vermilion, Ohio, or by phone 330-283-6038 and/or e-mail lszambecki@aol.com.

Looking back at his days at Ohio Wesleyan Lee says that he can’t imagine those four years without all of the great Beta brothers who made it possible for such a wonderful experience. He holds each and every one of the brothers in high esteem and with fond memories.

Lee has always been a proud and active Beta … as an undergraduate and now as an alum. We all say to Lee, we are proud to have you as a brother and “thank God you are a Beta”.