Tom Lee was a Memphis river worker who became a local hero after rescuing survivors of the M.E. Norman steamboat disaster on the Mississippi River in 1925. Without formal rescue equipment, Lee used his small skiff to save dozens of passengers from the river, preventing a far greater loss of life.
The site associated with Tom Lee is located along the Mississippi River near downtown Memphis. His actions earned national recognition and remain one of the most celebrated acts of civilian heroism in the city’s history. Tom Lee’s legacy is closely tied to Memphis’s long relationship with the river and river-based commerce.
Quick facts
- Coordinates: 35.135317, -90.064684
- Type: Monument
OSM tags
- Historic: Monument
- Name: Tom Lee (1885-1952)
- note: Citizens of Memphis
- Source: http://register.shelby.tn.us/shelby_landmarks/
- Wikimedia Commons: Commons – Memphis, TN, Tom Lee Monument, April 2008 – panoramio.jpg