Dr. Joseph Lee sits in the radiology department looking over recent sets of X-rays. Lee recently retired from his post at Alleghany Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Lee retires for second time; is moving to Las Vegas

"Do you believe America is the land of opportunity?"

A boxing promoter used that phrase to manipulate the simple-minded title character in the movie "Rocky." Indeed, the danger of an idea or sentiment becoming a cliché is that its meaning becomes trivialized.

But when Dr. Joseph Lee says that America is the land of opportunity, it has the ring of a statement whose truth is fully appreciated. Lee came to America as a young man, seeking and finding opportunity. He ended his career here earlier this month, stepping down — re-retiring, actually — from the post of radiologist at Alleghany Memorial Hospital.

Lee has fully embraced America, his adopted homeland. "I'm very appreciative. It's wonderful; it's the greatest country on Earth. People ask me, 'Where are you from?' I always say, 'Pennsylvania'....

"That's one reason I'm proud to be American. Only in America can a person with no finances become a doctor. I didn't have a penny when I went to medical school; they gave me a scholarship," he said.

"A Rare Bird"

Born in China, Lee finished high school in Hong Kong.

His brother had immigrated here first and attended Columbia University. When Lee came to the United States, he enrolled at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology, a double major.

"I'm a rare bird of my age group," he remarked. "Most of the Oriental doctors of my age group were foreign-trained....

"In my days it was very difficult for an Oriental to be accepted into a medical school....At the time nobody gave me a Chinaman's chance — pardon the pun," he added with a grin.

He defied the odds by applying and being accepted at three medical schools. "I was surprised; I had a choice," Lee said.

He chose Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he was the only Oriental student. That has changed since then. "Temple now has loads of them," he said.

Along with the scholarship, he supported himself during medical school with jobs such as housekeeping.

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