Lee Tecumseh Sellars Jr. (a.k.a. Barclay)
August 30, 1936 – January 17, 2021
Lee Tecumseh Sellars Jr. (a.k.a. Barclay) of Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona passed away on January 17, 2021. Lee was born August 30, 1936 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania to Lee Tecumseh Sellars Sr. and Veneta F. Norton. He leaves behind him, his children: Peter Sellars of Culver City, Los Angeles County, California and Julie Murphy of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada and his Grandson, Ollie Murphy of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, all of whom he was so very proud of and dearly loved.
Lee graduated from Avonworth High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1954. After moving to Arizona, Lee achieved his 1969 Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and his 1972 Master of Arts degree in Education from the Arizona State University. Lee taught on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City up until moving to Phoenix in 1974. Lee worked for the Phoenix Union High School System in teaching English and later as a Media Specialist from 1974 to 1988 and served from 1989 to 1996 as the Television Director of Channel 20 which he creatively developed by himself for the Chandler Unified School District’s Educational Television. Lee retired in 1996 and moved from Chandler to Gold Canyon and then to Apache Junction where he enjoyed many years living at the La Hacienda RV Resort and finally at the Springdale Assisted Living Facility in Mesa, AZ.
Lee will be remembered for his quick wit and desire to entertain those that he befriended. From an early age, Lee loved to capture images and create amazing photographs. He was praised by those that he worked with for his background in broadcast television and advertising and his skills in writing, directing, camera operations, lighting, editing and audio production. He especially enjoyed sharing his skills and teaching others. In his spare time, Lee was an avid and successful New York Times Crossword Puzzle solver and loved listening to Classical Music and Opera. He will be missed by all.
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I’m so sad to read of Lee’s passing.
One of my fondest memories of Lee was when he did an interviewed Annie Liebowitz at an exhibition she had in Phoenix, in the early 90s. He was talking to her about her photography and his love of photography and they he said… let me show you a picture of my son. An audible gasp from the media there to interview her too as he stood and reached for his wallet… everyone was in shock… he then motions… and starts walking to a photo of hers on the wall… it was of Peter.
Omg! They became quick friends. The gasp turned to laughter and love. He was quick whittled and a joy to be around. I only wish I had met him earlier in my own life. I often recall all the fun we had, you, me Jeffry, my mom… LOL. Great memories.
R.I.P Barclay
Lee was an inspiration to me when he was our librarian at my grade school in Phoenix in 1972 (ish). I kept in touch with him each year when I visited from New York during my trips to Phoenix. My memories of him are strong and fond and he holds a special place in my life and helped shape the best parts of me as an adult.