Tom Lee: The Hero Who Saved 32 Lives—And Couldn't Swim On May 8, 1925, Tom Lee, a 39-year-old Black river worker in Memphis, witnessed the steamboat M.E. Norman capsize in the Mississippi River with 72 people aboard. Despite being unable to swim, Lee used his small motorboat, the Zev, to rescue 32 passengers—making five trips to shore in treacherous currents. When asked why he risked his life for white passengers during segregation, he simply said, "I saw what had to be done, and I did it." Memphis honored him with a riverfront park, a bronze monument, and a meeting with President Coolidge. This is the story of a quiet hero whose courage transcended the racism of his time. SOURCES Historical Records: Wikipedia: "Tom Lee Park" and "M.E. Norman" (December 2025, August 2025) Tom Lee Park official website: "Tom Lee" biography Find A Grave Memorial #21008490: Tom Lee (1885-1952) Historical Marker Database: "Tom Lee Memorial" (#4947) News & Magazine Coverage: Memphis Magazine: "Tom Lee: A Hero's Tale" (April 2019) Memphis Magazine: "Last Known Survivor of 1925 M.E. Norman Steamboat Disaster Dies in Memphis" (January 2014) The Daily Memphian: "The Making of a Hero" series (May 2025, 100th anniversary coverage) Action News 5 (WMC Memphis): "Today marks 100 years since Tom Lee saved over 30 people" (May 8, 2025) WKNO FM: "Saving Tom Lee: How Memphis Is Rescuing a Hero's Legacy" (May 2025) Patheos: "Memphis, Mercy, And The Men We Remember" by Dorothy Wells (May 2025) Museums & Organizations: Urban Art Commission Memphis: Tom Lee Memorial documentation Klondike Smokey City Community Development Corporation records Memphis River Parks Partnership Key Facts Verified: Date: May 8, 1925 Location: Mississippi River, 15 miles south of Memphis at Cow Island Bend Vessel: M.E. Norman (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers steamboat) Passengers: 72 total (engineers convention attendees and families) Tom Lee's boat: The Zev (28-foot small wooden motorboat) Age: 39 years old (born February 18, 1885) Occupation: River roustabout/laborer for C.W. Hunter levee repair company Could not swim: Verified in multiple sources Number rescued: 32 people Number of trips: 5 trips to shore Deaths: 40 people drowned (some sources say 23) Quote: "I saw what had to be done, and I did it" (paraphrased from multiple sources where he said he "didn't do any more than anyone else would have done") Recognition: Met President Calvin Coolidge (May 28, 1925), given house at 923 North Mansfield by Engineers Club, job with Memphis Sanitation Department (20 cents/hour) Death: April 1, 1952, age 67, cancer, at John Gaston Hospital Memorials: Tom Lee Park (renamed 1954), granite obelisk (1954, destroyed in storms), bronze sculpture by David Alan Clark (2006) #TomLee, #Memphis, #MississippiRiver, #BlackHistory, #Hero, #May81925, #TomLeePark, #MENo rman, #CantSwim, #1925, #CourageOverFear, #BlackHistoryUnfiltered, #Segregation, #CivilRights, #Humanity, #Heroism, #UntoldHistory, #MemphisHistory, #RiverRescue, #AmericanHero Tom Lee, Memphis hero, Mississippi River rescue, 1925, M.E. Norman steamboat, couldn't swim, saved 32 lives, Black river worker, Tom Lee Park, President Coolidge, segregation era, heroic rescue, Cow Island Bend, the Zev boat, Engineers Club Memphis, untold Black history, Memphis riverfront, bronze monument, courage, humanity transcends racism

Charlotte Bergmann and Congressman John Rose ❤️🇺🇸❗️ @ElectBergmann @JohnRoseforTN

@toddstarnes Todd, Todd, Todd… You know good and well your team never reached out to us. And just so we’re crystal clear — we have zero interest in buying advertising on your show as a prerequisite for being a guest. We’ll pass! @Electbergmann

Decline is a choice. Making D.C. safe & beautiful again is too. THANK YOU, @POTUS! 🇺🇸

🏆 Best 2nd amendment, Answer, ever 🎯❗️ “My good friend, my sister, Miss Gl_ck 43X, will appreciate me protecting her, in order for her to protect me.” - Charlotte Bergmann @ElectBergmann