Missouri Man Overcomes Enormous Obstacles to Graduate from UM-Dearborn

This weekend, Kelsey, Emily and Jordan Lester of Lebanon, Miss., will be spending their weekend in Dearborn with their parents. They'll experience for the first time. They'll recieve a tour of the city. And at 10 a.m. this Sunday, they'll watch their father, Jeff Lester, who was diagnosed with ALS in 1993, graduate from the with a dual Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in finance.

Since being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease almost two decades ago, Jeff Lester has constantly battled his disease–one considered degenerative and eventually fatal. He was placed on a ventilator in 1997 and currently has no control over his limbs, and limited speech.

But in 2007, he heard about advancements in online degree programs–including the online MBA program at UM-Dearborn–and decided it was time to move forward.

"He was going to go to graduate school years ago, and then he was diagnosed," explained Jeff's wife Lisa, who toured the campus with her family on Friday. "He withdrew his application and thought ‘Why bother?’

"Then he was sitting around and has this head mouse thing that allows him to type, and he’s always writing stories and has a website to help other ALS people, and then online degrees were getting popular," she added. "So he ends up applying to schools and he was accepted here."

"He hopes it will maybe turn into a teaching position someday."

That laser head mouse, plus plenty of determination, helped Lester to complete all of his degree work at a high level–an honor for which he was recognized with membership to the international honor society Beta Gamma Sigma.

To instructors such as Associate Professor of Business Economics Lee Redding, it was just a pleasure to have Lester as a student.

"In a way, the impressive thing is that he’s been able to overcome the obstacles," Redding said. "It was just like having another really good student in your class."

And this weekend, after all those classes, Jeff Lester will receive his diplomas as his family, as well as friends Wendy and Herbie Gilder, watch from the audience in the university's Field House. It's a day he and Lisa have looked forward to for years.

"I’m really proud of his ambition," Lisa said, "and that he wants to be able to get a job to be able to provide more for his family, and to reassure himself he can do it."

“We are thrilled that Jeff is able to make the trip to UM-Dearborn to attend commencement,” added Stanley E. Henderson, vice chancellor for enrollment management and student life. “Jeff’s determination speaks volumes to the type of students we have at the university who are often overcoming adversity and personal struggles to persevere.”