David Lee grew up in the Missouri Ozarks, southwest of Springfield. An alumnus of the University of Missouri, Brown University, and the Illinois Institute of Technology, he served in the United States Air Force, and was a Federal civil servant for many years. A pilot, he once flew a Piper J-3 from Springfield, Ohio, to Guthrie, Oklahoma. He is the author of several papers in applied mathematics, and of a book, "The Cost Analyst's Companion." His novella, "Flyer," appeared in October, 2025.