Misplaced Pages

Cheryl Chow

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
American educator and politician

Cheryl Chow
Cheryl Chow, 1992
BornCheryl Mayre Chow
(1946-05-24)May 24, 1946
Seattle, Washington
DiedMarch 29, 2013(2013-03-29) (aged 66)
Seattle, Washington
Nationality United States
Other namesCheryl Mayre Chow
EducationWestern Washington University (BA)
OccupationEducator
Politician
SpouseSarah Morningstar (m. March 16, 2013)
Children1
Liliana Morningstar-Chow
Parents
  • Edward Shui "Ping" Chow (father)
  • Ruby Chow (mother)

Cheryl Chow (May 24, 1946 – March 29, 2013) was an American educator and politician.

Early life

Chow was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 24, 1946. Chow's father was Edward Shui "Ping" Chow (November 5, 1916 – June 29, 2011), who received U.S. Citizenship after he was discharged from United States Army. Chow's mother was Ruby Chow, who served as a King County Councilwoman, the first Asian American elected to that council.

Chow's maternal grandparents were Chinese immigrants who had come to the United States to work on the railroad lines.

Chow's parents were also restaurant owners of the famous Ruby Chow's restaurant, where Bruce Lee once worked.

Chow graduated from Franklin High School and then attended Western Washington University.

Education career

Chow was a teacher at Hamilton International Middle School, a public school in the Seattle School District. Chow was a principal of Sharples Junior High School (now Aki Kurose Middle School Academy).

Besides being a teacher and principal, Chow also coached girls' basketball for the city parks and recreation department.

After 1997, Chow was a principal of her alma mater Franklin High School and of Garfield High School.

Political career

From 1990–97, she served on the Seattle City Council. She decided not to run for reelection to her council seat in 1997, and instead run for Seattle mayor where she would fail to make it past the primary.

In 1999, Chow ran for Seattle City Council in Position 1 after council member Sue Donaldson decided not to run for office. Her main opponent was a political newcomer, Judy Nicastro who Chow outraised by over $12,000. Chow would narrowly lose the November General Election to Nicastro, 49.51% to 50.49%.

In 2005, Chow was elected to the Seattle School Board when the district saw increasing school closures and instability. She served until 2009 and became School Board President during her tenure.

Personal

Cheryl Chow, September 2012, about 6 months before her death

Chow came out as a lesbian in August 2012. On March 16, 2013, less than two weeks before her death, Chow married her partner, Sarah Morningstar. Together, they have a daughter, Liliana Morningstar-Chow.

Death

Cheryl Chow died of central nervous system lymphoma, aged 66, in Seattle, Washington and was survived by her wife, Sarah Morningstar, and several brothers and half-brothers.

References

  1. Valdes, Manuel (June 8, 2008). "Ruby Chow, Seattle's Chinese-American matriarch, dies". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  2. "Legacy.com Edward Shui "Ping" Chow". Legacy.com. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  3. ^ "Cheryl Chow, educator and former city council member, passes away at 66". Northwest Asian Weekly. April 5, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  4. ^ Alison Morrow (March 29, 2013). "Obituary". Northwest Cable News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  5. "1946-2015". Seattle Municipal Archives. City of Seattle. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  6. "Seattle Mayor's Race Down To Three Port Commissioner Tops Vote, Absentee Ballots To Determine His Opponent". The Spokesman-Review. September 18, 1997. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  7. "Seattle's Pragmatic Populist". The Stranger. January 25, 2001. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  8. "November 2, 1999 General Election". King County Elections. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  9. Cheryl Mayre Chow obituary, Seattle Times via legacy.com; accessed October 19, 2014.
  10. Obituary Archived October 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, washelli.com; accessed October 19, 2014.


Flag of Washington (state)Politician icon

This article about a politician from the state of Washington is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: