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To many in the SFU community, the sound of bagpipes is synonymous with convocation. The SFU Pipe Band has traditionally led the procession of graduands, faculty and dignitaries across the reflecting pond to Convocation Mall. Their performances mark both endings and new beginnings for thousands of students every year.

This fall, after five decades at the heart of SFU’s Pipe Band, Pipe Sergeant Jack Lee announced his retirement, marking the end of an extraordinary chapter. 

“Jack’s impact and his contributions to the band and to the BC pipe band scene cannot be overstated,” Pipe Major Alan Bevan said. “He has been a huge inspiration and mentor to me. Playing alongside and working with Jack over the past 30 years has been a huge highlight of my career, but we know this is not 'goodbye', and that he will continue to play a big role in the organization he has dedicated almost his entire life to.” 

End of an era 

Jack and his brother Terry, formerly the band’s pipe major, co-founded the SFU band in 1980. Originally a student led band, Jack and Terry’s leadership has grown the SFU Pipe Band into the award-winning band it is today.

As Pipe Sergeant, Jack played an integral role as second-in-command to the Pipe Major, the band leader, helping to manage the day-to-day operations and lead the band in competitions. Jack has also mentored countless players in their piping career and supported the youth bands and junior players.

In 2013, Jack was awarded an honorary Doctorate Degree from SFU in recognition of his lifetime contributions to piping. Last year, he received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for services to piping and his community.

Lead Drummer Reid Maxwell, addressing Jack Lee directly, shared “Jack, it has been an honour and a pleasure playing in the band with you for over 30 years. We have done some amazing things in this great band of ours. It will be a little different looking to my left at the top of the circle and not seeing you there. If there is one thing that does disappoint me in your departure, it is that I am now the oldest member of the band! That aside, I wish you nothing but the best in your future piping endeavors whatever they may be.”

The sounds of celebration 

Beyond the convocation stage, the band’s bagpipes have resonated across the ocean. As one of only four pipe bands outside the United Kingdom to have won the Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship, the SFU Pipe Band carries a legacy that goes far beyond SFU. Most recently, the band placed fourth at the 2025 World Championships in Glasgow and took top honours at the Pacific Northwest Highland Games in Enumclaw, Washington. 

Jack has also received international recognition for solo piping. He has held the title of world’s best piper winning on three separate occasions (2003, 2017 and 2021) at the  held annually at Blair Atholl Castle in Scotland. The championships are an elite competition reserved for the world’s top 10 solo pipers. 

While stepping away from active competition, Jack isn’t going far. He will continue as Director of the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Bands, the youth bands associated with the SFU Pipe Band, and as Treasurer of the SFU Pipe Band organization.

“I think the band is in a very strong position to move ahead and I anticipate more amazing moments in the future,” Jack shared. “I will be cheering [them] on and helping in various ways."

Congratulations Jack on a half century of exceptional and exemplary pipe band music leadership!