M.E. Norman was a 113-foot-long sternwheel steamboat. In a freak accident, Norman sunk on May 8, 1925, near Cow Island Bend in Memphis, Tennessee, drowning 23 people. Tom Lee, an African-American riverworker, was personally credited with using a small rowboat to save the lives of 32 passengers. Tom Lee Park is named in his honor.
References
- Pogue, Jim. "Artifacts from Corps tragedy discovered", Engineer Update, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- Pogue, Jim. "Bronze sculpture honors Memphis hero", Engineer Update, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
