Beloved Ocoee principal, mayor dies

J. Lester Dabbs Jr. was well known for his service in both education and politics. He taught at the original Ocoee High School and was the last principal at Lakeview High School and the first principal at West Orange High School when it opened in 1976. He also served the city of Ocoee as a commissioner from 1986-89 and mayor from 1989-92.

Dabbs, 82, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, after a long battle with lung cancer.

As an educator, he taught at Ocoee High, impacting the lives of the students, who expressed admiration to him long after they were in his classroom. In 1969, he earned a master’s degree at Stetson University while preparing to open a new junior high school in Apopka. Dabbs also served as the first principal of West Orange High School and as principal of Stonewall Jackson Middle School for 18 years before sharing his knowledge through training new principals for the school district.

Carol King, the media specialist at Stonewall Jackson Middle, worked with Dabbs for 19 years and said he was tough but fair.

“If he had a shred of info to go on, he would defend his staff to the end,” King said. “He was a principal who allowed his teachers to teach. He let us do our jobs and was always available for counseling and guidance if we needed it.”

Russell Crouch, of Winter Garden, said he and Dabbs were longtime friends.

“When (Kathy and I) got married, we moved next door to them, and he gave me my first job at Stonewall Jackson Jr. High,” the former head football coach and softball coach said.

“Mr. Dabbs was like a second dad to me, during that time, especially. He always looked after me and always gave me advice on teaching. … He was a very caring principal. When (Orange County) did away with junior high, he asked me if I wanted to stay or continue to coach, and he got me the coaching and teaching job at Colonial High School.”

Gene Trochinski remembers Principal Dabbs as a strong mentor when the two worked together at Stonewall Jackson. It was Dabbs who hired him.

“Whenever I had a tough situation I was dealing with, I would call Lester — I would call the boss — and get the answers,” Trochinski said.

Trochinski served under Dabbs as teacher, dean and assistant principal for 13 years when it was a junior high and, later, a middle school. 

When Trochinski taught at Ocoee Elementary School for a few years, he had all three of Dabbs’ daughters in his class.

“(Lester) created a family atmosphere at Stonewall Jackson, which was hard to do. I always looked up to him for being able to do that,” he said.

As a long-standing member of the Ocoee community, Dabbs joined the American Legion, serving as the Boys State chairman. He and Tommie Sanders, for whom the legion is named, used to also meet with veterans to answer their questions and assist with any problems they had.

Dabbs worked for the city of Ocoee as a commissioner and mayor and as a member of the community at large thereafter. He was a founding member of the Human Relations Diversity Board and was instrumental in healing race relations in Ocoee.

Most recently, he had been asked to be the grand marshal of the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Parade on Monday, Jan. 19.

Dabbs also served the city of Ocoee on the Merit System Board and the General Employee Pension Board, as well as these commissions: Charter Review, Education and Districting.

Commissioner Rusty Johnson called Dabbs a lifelong friend and a mentor. The two were on the Ocoee City Commission together in the 1980s, and one of the key projects they worked on was the building of Clarke Road.

Dabbs also was a member of the Ocoee Oaks Church (formerly Ocoee United Methodist Church).

The loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend led a storied life. He was born on Aug. 17, 1932, in Huttig, Arkansas, and graduated from high school at age 16. After serving his country in the United States Army, he moved out west and worked as a park ranger in Yellowstone National Park for several years before attending college at Memphis State University and becoming a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. 

His working life and personal life merged when he met his loving wife, Nancy, while they were teachers at Ocoee High School; they married in 1962 and last year celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary.  

In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children, Leslie Dabbs Allen (Patrick), Joanna Dabbs Butler (Kevin), Natalie Dabbs Hatch (Wally) and Jack Dabbs; nine grandchildren, Calla Butler, Zachary Allen, Garrett Butler, Jacob Allen, Kelton Butler, Emily Allen, Caroline Allen, Delaney Hatch, and Makenna Hatch; his siblings, Myrtle Hubbard Alexander, Walter Miller Dabbs (Virginia) and Velva Graves; and three nephews, R. Glenn Hubbard, Gregg Hubbard and David Dabbs. 

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, as well as two granddaughters, Susanna Hope Butler and Camryn Makenna Hatch.

Loomis Family Funeral Home, 420 W. Main St., in Apopka, is handling the arrangements. The family suggests donations be made to Sipes Orchard Home (Houston House), 4431 County Home Road, Conover, North Carolina 28613; SmileTrain, P.O. Box 96231, Washington, D.C. 20090-6231; or the charity of one’s choice.