In 1965, his senior class was studying drama in Lee Colegrove's university English course. The students asked him, "Can we continue to read drama after we graduate?" Pleased, he set up for them a reading group to meet regularly in his Tokyo apartment.
He said: "This year, the group celebrated its 40th anniversary. Some core people, some of whom became teachers and translators, have continued all this time. Some other students joined in along the way." Ask Colegrove if he sees results for his years of teaching English in Japan, and he answers emphatically, "Oh! Yes!" The reading group is one affirmation of his success story.
He was an only child whose father was an office manager in Detroit. Colegrove said: "I always liked English, and thought of being a journalist. But in college I forgot about journalism and decided to become a teacher."