Recently, they threw a huge party at the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, with not one but three live bands! The honoree was 91-year-old Lee Webb, a man who is about as Austin as it gets.
Born in 1924, Webb spent his childhood in the Govalle neighborhood of East Austin. They were tough times, especially as the Great Depression hit, but Webb has fond memories of the country music bands that were based in that community. He remembers helping them move furniture around in homes, turning them into dance halls. Quite the dancer himself, Lee recalls learning to jitterbug by spying on the boys from Anderson High School.
In 1944 the music gave way to the sound of bullets and bombs as Lee went off to war, serving with General Eisenhower’s Snowdrop Battalion in England and France. He returned to Austin in 1946. Lee got married and went to work for a flooring company and a bakery before finding his niche, setting up commercial kitchens. It’s a career that lasted 30 years and Webb helped establish Meals on Wheels in Austin and a fledgling sandwich company named Schlotzsky’s.
After retirement, Webb sold his home in the Crestview neighborhood and he and his wife moved to Jonestown. Lee did not retire from dancing. He enjoyed helping senior citizens groups establish dance clubs.
In 1995, Lee’s wife passed away. He moved in with his son in Austin so he could be closer to health care facilities. Fiercely independent, Webb wanted to have his own home again, but the soaring home prices and rental rates in Austin put that dream out of reach. After applying to get into the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center several times, Lee Webb finally got approval to move into the affordable independent living community for seniors in 2011.
Today, Lee Webb is one of the most popular residents of the RBJ Center as his neighbors love seeing his artwork. Although he now gets around in a mobility scooter, he still talks about starting a dance club at the retirement home. He’s excited to hear that the Austin Geriatric Center is planning to expand and renovate the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, so more seniors can enjoy affordable, independent living.