Tom Lee: The Everyday American Hero

In the season one finale of Black Is America, we share the story of Tom Lee. On May 8, 1925, when the M.E. Norman steamer suffered a catastrophic failure, Tom Lee saved thirty-two people from the Mississippi River. Fellow Memphian and historian Terri Stephens comes along for the ride to tell the tale of the humble hero. 

 

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why was Tom Lee on the river that day?
• Why was it dangerous for Tom to attempt the rescues?
• Why is May a fun time in Memphis?
• How did Memphis repay his good deed? 

 

Sources to create this episode come Memphis Magazine.com and Michael Finger beautiful piece be sure to read it as it has additional information about what happened that day. We have a link there in the show notes. NBC Olympics.com, WREG Memphis, WCNC Charlotte, GilderLehrman.org, History.com, and more. For a complete list, look in the show note of your podcast player or our website www.blackisamericapodcast.com.

Be sure to Like, review and subscribe to the Black Is America Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, where ever you like to listen to podcasts. Also, let people know about the podcast. We would appreciate that very much. 

For a full transcript of this episode and other resources, go to www.blackisamericapodcast.com. There you can read our blog, leave us a review, or you can leave a voicemail where you can ask a question or let us know what you think about the show that we may play in an episode. You can also hit the donation button if you like what you heard which helps us to create more educational content like this.