- Tom Lee Park
Infobox park
park=Tom Lee Park
image size=300px
caption=Tom Lee Memorial in Tom Lee Park. (2008)
type=Municipal
location=Memphis, Tennessee
coordinates=Coord|35.13955606|N|90.05808020|W|type:landmark|format=dms|name=Tom Lee Park
size=30acre s (0.12 km²)
opened=
operator=City of Memphis
annual visitors=
status=Open all year from dawn to 10 pmTom Lee Park is a city park located to the immediate west of downtown Memphis,
Tennessee , overlooking theMississippi River . Encompassing about 30acre s (0.12 km²) parallel to the Mississippi River for about one mile (1.6km ), it offers panoramic views of theMississippi River and the shores ofArkansas on the opposite side.The park is named after Tom Lee, an
African-American riverworker, who saved the lives of 32 passengers of the sinkingsteamboat "M.E. Norman " in 1925. cite news | url = http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/jul98/story14.htm | title = Artifacts from Corps tragedy discovered | work = Engineer Update | publisher =United States Army Corps of Engineers | month = July | year = 1998 | last = Pogue | first = Jim ]Luxury homes and condominiums line the top of the bluff overlooking the park and the river.
The park hosts events throughout the year, perhaps most notably the major weekend events during
Memphis in May .Tom Lee Park is a popular location for walkers, joggers, roller bladers and cyclists.
Geography
Tom Lee Park is approximately one mile (1.6
km ) long, but not more than 400 ft (120 m) wide at any point. It encompasses about 30acre s (0.12 km²), running south fromBeale Street , bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, and Riverside Blvd to the east, offering panoramic views of theMississippi River .The park is located at Coord|35.13955606|N|90.05808020|W|type:landmark|format=dms|name=Tom Lee Park.
inking of the M.E.Norman
The park is named after area resident Tom Lee (1885-1952).
Late during the afternoon of
May 8 ,1925 , Lee steered his 28 ft (8.5 m) skiff "Zev" upriver after delivering an official toHelena, Arkansas .Also on the river was a
steamboat , the "M.E. Norman ", carrying members of the Engineers Club of Memphis, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and their families.One man rescues 32 lives
Tom Lee witnessed the "M.E. Norman" capsize in the swift current 15 mi (24
km ) downriver from Memphis at Cow Island Bend. Although he could not swim, he rescued 32 people with five trips to shore. Lee acted quickly, calmly and with no regard for his own safety, continuing to search after night fell. Because of his efforts, only 23 people died.Posthumous honors
To honor the hero, the Memphis Engineers Club raised enough money to purchase a house for Lee and his wife.
Tom Lee died of
cancer onApril 1 ,1952 at John Gaston Hospital. Two years after his death, the park along the Memphis Riverfront was named in his honor and a granite obelisk was erected.In October 2006, a
bronze sculpture was erected in the park to commemorate the event and to honor the civil hero. The sculpture statue depicting the rescue of a survivor saved from drowning in the Mississippi River. cite news | url = http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/CEPA/PUBS/nov06/story6.htm | title = Bronze sculpture honors Memphis hero | work = Engineer Update | publisher =United States Army Corps of Engineers | month = November | year = 2006 | last = Pogue | first = Jim ]Events held in Tom Lee Park
Among several events held throughout the year, the park is well known throughout the city and region as the site of different outdoor events.
Music
The annual "
Memphis in May " celebration is the primary event in the park.The Beale Street Music Festival is a three-day event during the Memphis in May celebration, hosting over 60 musical acts annually on three stages, ranging from blues, to hip-hop, to metal.
The "Sunset Symphony concert", the largest annual performance event of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, is a highlight in the park during Memorial Day weekend, near the end of the Memphis in May celebration.
Barbecue Cooking Contest
The "World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest", during the weekend after the Beale Street Music Festival festival, is the world's largest pork barbecue cooking competition, attracting hundreds of competitors to Tom Lee Park from around the world.
ee also
*"
M.E. Norman " (steamboat )
*Memphis, Tennessee
*Memphis in May References
External links
* [http://www.memphisriverfront.com/ Memphis Riverfront Park]
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