Lee Lyttle papers

Ferdinand (Lee) Lyttle grew up in Bronx, New York, with an original intent to enter the priesthood. After studying comparative religion in a high school preparatory seminary and deciding a life of celibacy did not suit him, Lyttle switched focus, in college earning a B.F.A. in architecture from the University of New Mexico in 1974. Upon graduating, Lyttle moved to the Northwest to attend the University of Washington where he earned his Master of Urban Planning. Over the next several years he interned with the City of Seattle’s Parks and Recreation Department, worked for Kitsap County as the county’s environmental planner during the development of the Trident Submarine Base, and wrote environmental impact statements as a consultant in the private sector. In 1980, he joined the Peace Corp, spending two years in the Caribbean where he worked with youth groups and devoted his free time to studying philosophy. After completing his Peace Corps service, Lee returned to school earning a Master of Public Administration degree again from the University of Washington in 1985. After graduating, Lee lived on the streets of Seattle for five months, conducting social research in order to gain a better understanding of the issues of homelessness. During the latter half of the 1980s, Lyttle went to work for the United Nations Development Program as a program officer in Papua, New Guinea for two years, then in Zimbabwe, Africa for another year and a half. Upon returning to the United States, Lyttle served as the Deputy Director for King County Parks, Planning, and Community Development department until returning to world of academia once again, this time earning a Master in Library Information Services from the University of Hawaii in 1991.

Since coming to Evergreen as a faculty librarian in the fall of 1991, Lyttle has worn many different hats. He team-taught information studies, public policy, and arts policy in many academic programs in both Olympia and at Evergreen Tacoma. He served on a number of faculty, administration, and staff hiring committees including chairing the 2005 ‘Vice President for Administration’ and the 2019 ‘Dean of Tacoma’ hiring committees. He also served on many of the college’s pivotal disappearing task forces (DTFs) including the college’s 2000 ‘Arming of the Campus Police’ and the 2008 ‘General Education’ DTFs.

In March 1998, Lyttle was appointed the Dean of First Year Academic Programs where he served until July 2001. From then until the end of 2008, Lyttle served as the Dean of Library and Media Services where he helped guide the library through a major $45 million dollar renovation. During this period Lee was also involved the arts in the community serving first as a City of Olympia Arts Commissioner and later a Washington State Arts Commissioner. In that capacity he was a member of a Washington State delegation that went to China visiting various art institutions and university arts programs exploring possibilities for partnerships and collaborations with Washington state artists and art initiatives. In the spring and summer of 2009 Lyttle participated in Evergreen’s Kobe Japan Exchange Program at the University of Hyogo where he taught and lectured about world information systems and the burgeoning new information sharing system called the Internet. Upon his return Lee rejoined the Evergreen community as the new Director of the Masters of Public Administration program where he served from the fall 2009 to the spring of 2013.

During the following few years Lyttle refreshed his research and personal development activities while on sabbatical and returning to teaching. In 2018 he was asked to once again rejoin college administration as the Dean Evening and Weekend Studies (EWS), Summer, and Tacoma programs. This was a challenging and thoroughly engaging year as he helped to prepare both the EWS and Tacoma programs towards new structures, programs, and leadership. He served in this capacity until retiring from the college at the end of July 2019.