Tom Lee Monument - Memphis, TN
N 35° 08.059 W 090° 03.905
15S E 767417 N 3891882
The Tom Lee Monument shows Memphis' local hero saving one of the 32 people he rescued from drowning in 1925 after their steamboat capsized in the Mississippi.
Waymark Code: WMGDKC
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2013
Views: 11
Tom Lee was an African-American riverman who rescued 32 white engineers and their family members after an excursion boat they were in capsized. Lee, who could not swim, rescued as many people as he could in his small boat - the Zev - making multiple trips and continued searching well after dark. In gratitude, the city gave him a (better) job for life and dedicated Tom Lee Park in his honor (the first municipal park dedicated to a person of color in the US).
This sculpture, by David Alan Clark, puts visitors in the role of a person in the water, awaiting rescue. The waterline of Lee's boat is at eye level, the plaza is etched with river currents, and the river itself is close at hand. Visitors can look up into Lee's face, grasp his hand, and imagine what a welcome sight Lee was to those awaiting rescue. Behind them, a well-dressed white man floats on his back, clinging to wreckage and reaching for help.
Lee, his boat and the victim clutching a chunk of wreckage are all life-sized cast bronze, mounted on black granite bases. Lee's base has the story of the rescue engraved on it. The plaza is rimmed with 32 spotlights - one for each person Lee saved. A bench curves around the side of the plaza so that visitors can sit, and view the sculpture against the constantly-moving background of the mighty river.
Amnesty International was so impressed with Lee's story - and with the sculpture – that they held their local human rights awards in front of the monument.
Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.
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