Mr. Kenneth Lee Lewis

Remember Who You Are: Kenny, the son of Lee Lewis and Mattie Jennings Lewis was born January 15, 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland. Reared in Baltimore, he had many close relatives and friends who actively participated in his upbringing and helped shape his life. Kenny received his early education in Baltimore Public Schools graduating from Baltimore City College High School. He attended Morgan State College, now Morgan State University, receiving a B.A. in English in 1972. While at Morgan State, he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, served as editor of the college newspaper and was an activist in civil and student rights issues. Thereafter, he attended Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.) where he received a J.D. in 1975. After graduating from law school, Kenny moved to Detroit and worked for Michigan Legal Services and passed the Michigan State Bar in 1976. His first notable case was Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School Children et al vs. Ann Arbor Public Schools (better known as the “Black English Case”) where he successfully argued in front of U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan that the school system had to find a way to identify Black English speakers in schools and “use that knowledge in teaching such students how to read standard English.” Thereafter, Kenny practiced law for the next 37 years continuing in the public sector with the City of Detroit Law Department and Wayne County’s Corporation Council. He later practiced privately with Patrick, Reid, and Lewis and finally with Plunkett and Cooney in 1993 until his untimely death. During his career, Kenny held leadership positions in various legal and civic organizations, including the State Bar of Michigan, Detroit Bar Association, the National Bar Association (Board of Governors), Conference of Black Lawyers, Wolverine Bar Association (past president), the Detroit Metropolitan Police Academy, the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (Law instructor), Phi Alpha Delta, the United Way (Board of Directors), City Connect Detroit, (Board of Directors ), and the Attorney Discipline Board (chair). At Plunkett and Cooney, Ken served on the Board of Directors and as Chair of their Diversity & Inclusion Committee. He successfully defended labor, employment, and municipal liability matters in over 175 adversarial proceedings, including bench and jury trials, labor arbitrations, disciplinary trial boards, administrative hearings and regulatory hearings. He also lectured and published articles and training materials for lawyers and law enforcement. He was most excited about his visiting professorship at Cooley Law School last year, where he was able to merge his love of teaching with his love of law. Kenneth was a mentor to a host of young people, especially young lawyers. Kenny married Linda Streeter in Pensacola, Florida on May 23, 1981, the two enjoyed 32 years of marriage. They moved into their house in the Rosedale Park neighborhood of Detroit in 1981 and began their own family in 1988, when Bradford was born. He was followed by Zuri in 1992 and Myles in 1993. As a dedicated father, he reminded his children daily, “Remember Who You Are,” before they left for school. Always the baseball enthusiast, Kenny participated as a committee member and coach in the Grandmont/Rosedale Baseball League. Kenny loved people and that love was returned in full measure. He was a charismatic comedian and storyteller, who loved to make people laugh. Always the center of attention, people gravitated towards him because of his embracing, humble, and loyal disposition. He was a son, brother, nephew, husband, father, uncle, son-in-law, brother-in-law, godfather, cousin, friend, mentor, colleague, and an inspiration to all. An avid golfer and historian, he will be sorely missed. Kenneth Lee Lewis passed away peacefully July 27, 2013 surrounded by his family after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Mr. Kenneth Lee Lewis

January 15, 1950 - July 27, 2013