M.E. Norman was a 113-foot (34 m)-long sternwheel steamboat operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
On May 8, 1925, the M.E. Norman sank after an explosion. Tom Lee, an African-American riverworker, saved the lives of 32 passengers.
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In a freak accident, the M.E. Norman sunk on May 8, 1925, near Cow Island Bend in Memphis, Tennessee, drowning 23 people. The passengers were engineers with their families who were attending a convention in Memphis.[1]
Tom Lee, an African-American riverworker, was personally credited with using a small rowboat to save the lives of 32 passengers. He acted with no regard for his own safety, continuing to search after night fell. Because of his efforts, only 23 people died.
Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee is named in his honor. In October 2006, a bronze sculpture was erected in the park to commemorate the event and to honor the civil hero.[2]
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