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A Lasting Marriage: Bill, Linda Lee '70 combine economics + sociology for lifelong success

Economics alumnus Bill Lee '70 and sociology alumna Linda Mobley Lee '70 have been married for more than 50 years, ran a fast-food franchise for 20 years, raised two sons and learned how to lift people up their whole lives.

They say there's no secret to a lasting marriage or being effective business partners, but they've proven over and over that being good to people is good for more than just business.

Senior year sweethearts

Bill Lee knew he was going to Auburn ever since he ushered at Auburn football games as a Boy Scout. He excelled at Auburn – treasurer and president of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, writer for the Auburn Plainsman, senator for the College of Liberal Arts and chair of the SGA All-Campus Fund Drive.

It was the first day of comparative economic systems, and love at first sight, when he saw Linda.

"I happened to look up from the syllabus and there she was, at the door of the classroom," Bill said. "I noticed her beautiful face with her long blonde hair swaying from side to side as she walked into the room. She was wearing a white blouse and a very short plaid skirt. I thought, How can I meet her?"

Linda grew up in LaGrange, Georgia, and was the first in her family to attend college. She looked forward to the independence she'd have at Auburn. She was in the Air Force R.O.T.C. Angel Flight organization and served as a dorm counselor to freshmen girls in Dorm IX. She was a member of the homecoming court her junior year and selected for the Mortar Board honor society as a senior.

She took comparative economics systems to finish her economics minor.

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"I don't remember what was taught on the first day of the course, but I remember a mutual friend introduced me to Bill," Linda said. "He called me soon after to ask me out, but I already had a date that evening. Fortunately, he was persistent. I think we both knew that the relationship was special from the very beginning."

Their first date was at the Midway Mall to get an Orange Julius. Six weeks later, they were engaged. Bill Lee and Linda Mobley were married just six months after graduation and recently celebrated their 53rd anniversary.

As if a lasting marriage wasn't challenging enough, they also became business partners.

The Burger King and Queen

In 1974, Bill was hired as an assistant night manager at a Burger King restaurant in Atlanta. Over the next twelve years, he would be promoted ten times, which took Bill and Linda to North Carolina, Louisiana and Florida. He completed his Burger King corporate career as vice president of operations at the Miami headquarters.

In 1986, Bill and Linda moved to Atlanta to become franchisees and bought their first Burger King restaurant in Roswell, Georgia, as 50/50 partners. After building their sixth Burger King restaurant, they tackled the industry's biggest issue: employee turnover.

At the time, the turnover rate in the fast-food industry was approximately 300%. It was clear that a new approach was needed. Linda, who worked full-time as a marriage and family therapist, reduced her practice to help Bill with the business by applying her knowledge of communication and conflict resolution skills.

"My sociology courses and my Ph.D. in psychology helped me understand the importance of respect for all people groups, particularly those on the margins of our society," Linda said. "We helped our managers learn communication skills and how to resolve conflicts respectfully. These tools helped them overcome feeling so powerless."

Bill and Linda created a progressive discipline plan that clearly outlined expected behaviors and reasonable consequences instead of firing employees for their first offense. They also paid higher wages than other fast-food restaurants, provided health insurance, contributed 25% to manager 401k plans, introduced a profit-sharing bonus and paid for English and Spanish language lessons.

Managers had a seat at the table at monthly meetings, which Bill and Linda said led them to make better decisions. 

"We even had a mystery shopper program where we had hired shoppers to visit each of our restaurants four times a month to give us reports on quality of menu items, speed/courtesy of service and cleanliness," Bill said. "Managers and crew members got bonuses for their shopper scores as well as for controlling their food and labor costs. It was exciting to create an environment where employees felt valued and really enjoyed working together."

Bill said their approach was "unheard of" in the fast-food industry at the time, and their turnover rate dropped to 51%. For five years, he served as the president of the New South Coalition, the Burger King franchisee association which represented more than 600 Burger King restaurants in the southeastern U.S.  Bill and Linda spoke to this and other franchisee groups across the country about how to reduce turnover.

"We believed that God was the owner of our business, and we were stewards," Bill said. "In doing so, we wanted to create a place that was inviting. We wanted employees that were friendly and kind, and we wanted a clean place for customers to visit. We won a lot of national awards for outstanding service, and I like to think that it all started by having a plan that all our policies centered around this original purpose."

By the time they sold their business to a new franchisee and retired in 2006, they had built ten Burger King restaurants.

"It was special to watch so many employees get promoted and develop the skills to effectively manage the business," Bill said.   

Linda said that over their 20 years in business, she hoped they proved that being good to people was good for business.

"We didn't allow discrimination in hiring, training, pay or promotion. When we retired, 75% of our crew members and managers were people of color. Many of our employees had worked for our company for more than ten years," Linda said. "I think our greatest legacy is the positive impact we had on the lives of our employees."

Advocates in Auburn

Bill grew up in Lowndes County, Alabama, the epicenter of the voting rights struggle and where the Black Panther Party was founded. Throughout his childhood in the 1950s and 1960s, he saw the need for the Civil Rights Movement firsthand.

Eight years ago, Bill and Linda moved back to where their story started and enrolled in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), the adult education program at Auburn University. The OLLI course based on "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson sparked their desire to learn about racial justice.

"That book, and the classroom approach to it, gave us an opportunity to really understand more about the lack of equity in many of the systems that we have in government," Bill said. "It also helped us to understand that we needed to learn more about Black history and how to get involved with an organization that advocates for those in the minority."

The Lees, original members of the Lee County Remembrance Project, helped place a historic marker about the history of lynching in Lee County near the courthouse in Opelika.

They also lead book groups on racial justice and serve with the Good News Center at Auburn United Methodist Church, which includes a food pantry, clothes closet and rent/utility assistance. As members of the Lee County branch of the NAACP, they advocate for affordable housing, voting rights and prison reform. 

"We've just tried to educate ourselves. I lament that I waited until I was 60 to really start learning about this," Linda said. "I would just encourage people to study Black history – there's so much to gain. It's our American history. If we avoid learning it, we're destined to repeat the same mistakes."

Since they retired, Bill and Linda enjoy spending time with their four grandchildren and giving back to the community through their volunteer work.

To support student success at Auburn, the Lees set up an annual scholarship for those enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts. For Linda, who was a first-generation college student, paying it forward is especially important. 

"Our scholarship is about personal reparation for us because we are so blessed," Linda said. "Even with the privilege that I enjoyed as an Auburn student, I know how hard it is to be that first person. So, we want to be able to help someone who might not otherwise be able to afford to go to college or have the support needed to be successful."

Learn more about programs in the College of Liberal Arts.

Tags: Alumni Economics Sociology