Cover Story Children of the Mansion
Presidents’ kids grow up in historic home
By B INKY STRICKLAND
T
here’s at least one facet of life in the Old Governor’s Mansion that three of its former occupants – three daughters of Georgia College presidents – share. Music. When the family of President Robert E. Lee lived in the Mansion, the second floor ballroom was bare except for a grand piano and a few floor-toceiling mirrors in ornate gilt frames, recalled his daughter, Mary Dean Lee. “That’s where I practiced the piano every morning for an hour before going off to school and then another hour in the evening usually,” she said. “When I was 14, I actually gave a solo piano recital in that room, an hour long, with about 100 guests.” Lynn Speir, the daughter of President Edwin G. Speir, recalls the choirs and brass quartets playing in the rotunda, and the music of special catered events. She can conjure up the sounds of her mother, Sue, teaching piano lessons, and both her mother and sister Jennifer playing the piano for family gatherings and tea parties. “The sound of the piano would echo throughout the mansion and it was wonderful,” she said. Music is only one feature that binds together the experiences of growing up in the Mansion. Mary Dean and Robert Lott Lee Parents: Dr. Robert E. (Buzz) Lee and Mary Dean Lott Lee When the Lee family moved into the Mansion in 1956, the entire space
The family of President Robert E. Lee pose in front of the Old Governor’s Mansion, which served as their home from 1956-67: Front row (left to right) Bill Lee, Robert Lee, Mary Dean (“Deanie”) Lee; Back row, Mary Dean Lott Lee and Dr. Robert E. Lee. served as their living quarters, said Mary Dean Lee, who was 11 at the time of the move. The third floor was their primary quarters, however, and contained the bedrooms and a small breakfast room off the rotunda. On the first floor there was a kitchen and dining room, a living room, den and playroom. The play-
room was a popular feature of the house because it featured pool and Ping Pong tables and even a shuffle board court. “The playroom was a great attraction for friends in the neighborhood, and sometimes people would show up whom we didn’t really know — just wanting to use the facilities,” said Lee,
Georgia College & State University Connection • Summer 2005
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