Charles R. Lee is happily married with three girls and three grandchildren. He grew up in North Tarrytown, NY, now known as Sleepy Hollow, NY. His parents both worked hard to give him an opportunity to attend college. He was an average high school student that was very active in sports. He attended the University of Tampa, Tampa, FL, where he graduated with a BS in Chemistry. He met his wife-to-be, Nancy Jean, from Lakeland, FL, at Tampa University. He continued his education at Clemson University, Clemson, SC where he received a MS and Ph. D. in Agronomy and Soil Chemistry. His research determined the cause for the peach tree replant problem affecting numerous peach orchards in SC. Peach sprays of zinc and arsenic accumulated in the soil resulting in toxic conditions for peach trees and other crops planted on peach orchard sites. He conducted unique growth chamber, greenhouse and field experiments to evaluate a solution to the soil contamination. He was then employed by Agriculture Canada as a Research Scientist in Fredericton, NB. After 5 years of research that solved acid soil and aluminum and manganese toxicity problems in potatoes, he was hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station (USACE-WES) in Vicksburg, MS to join a small team of engineers and scientists to develop a world class Environmental Laboratory to evaluate all environmental issues at every USACE project all over the world. Consequently, he travelled the globe addressing environmental problems and working with world renowned scientists to solve contamination problems. He authored and co-authored more than 235 technical research papers, presenting research papers at more than 60 national and international conferences over 50 years. He loved his work and received a number of awards, including the Commander and Director’s Research and Development Achievement Award in 1983, The Department of Army Achievement Award in 1983, Recognized By the Department of the Navy for His Outstanding Successful Litigation of a 17 million dollar settlement of Contamination Clean-up against Chemical Companies from 1983-1991, Recognized by US EPA and Pennsylvania DEP as a member of the successful Drake Superfund Clean-up Team from 1993-1999, and Recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer for his transfer of Recycled Manufactured Soil Technology in 1999. He retired in 2003 and established a consulting service and a small business recycling waste material such as dredged material, cellulose such as waste paper, sawdust, leaves, etc and biosolids such as animal manure and sewage sludge into fertile topsoil. As a scientist, he learned to be extremely observant and take daily copious notes in his Day-Timer diary. He used his scientific methods to record daily observations for 21 days while participating in the USA/USSR Scientific Exchange Program. He lecturer and discussed his research on Overlandflow Treatment of Wastewater with Russian scientists and engineers. The USSR sent their scientists and engineers to Vicksburg, MS in 1976 to visit the USACE-WES and its Overlandflow Wastewater Treatment Facility at Utica, MS. Dr. Lee and his colleagues conducted an elaborate tour of the facility for the Russian visitors. The Russian scientists and engineers were so amazed at the facility that they requested construction plans so they could build a similar facility in Leningrad, Russia. The US Department of State approved and sent plans to the USSR and in 1980, the USSR requested Dr. Lee travel to the USSR under the USA/USSR Scientific Exchange Program and specifically to Leningrad to observe and evaluate the newly constructed Overlandflow Wastewater Treatment Facility. Even though the USA boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, President Carter approved participation and travel of Dr. Lee to the USSR to complete USA participation in the Scientific Exchange Program. While it seemed like a harmless effort, Dr. Lee never in his wildest dreams would have ever believed the situation he found himself in. He wrote this book to give the reader an intriguing story of his real life experiences in Communist USSR during the Cold War.
