Cheryl Chow

Cheryl Chow (May 24, 1946 – March 29, 2013) was an American educator and politician. She was a Seattle City Council member from 1990 to 1997.

Early life and career

Chow was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 24, 1946.Cheryl Mayre Chow obituary
''Seattle Times'' via legacy.com; accessed October 19, 2014. Chow's father was Edward Shui "Ping" Chow, a Cantonese opera singer who received U.S. Citizenship after he was discharged from the United States Army, and her mother was Ruby Chow, who served as a King County Councilwoman, the first Asian American elected to that council. Her parents also owned Ruby Chow's restaurant, where Bruce Lee once worked. Chow's maternal grandparents were Chinese immigrants who had come to the United States to work on the railroad lines.

Chow graduated from Franklin High School and then attended Western Washington University. After college, Chow worked as a physical education teacher at Hamilton International Middle School, a public school in the Seattle School District. She then became Principal at Sharples Junior High School (now Aki Kurose Middle School Academy). Chow also coached girls' basketball for the city parks and recreation department and became an instructor for the Chinese Girls Drill Team Team, which was started by her mother.

In 1985, Chow ran for the King County Council for the seat her mother was retiring from, ultimately losing the election. Before running for Seattle City Council, she worked at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Seattle City Council

In 1989, Chow ran for Seattle City Council against longtime incumbent Jeanette Williams. In the November general election Chow narrowly defeated Williams, 50% to 49%. She ran for reelection in 1993, winning in a landslide with 74% of the vote.

In her first term, Chow chaired the Parks and Public Grounds Committee, and in her second term, she chaired the Health, Housing, Human Services, Education and Libraries Committee. During her time on council, she helped form the Families and Education Levy, which funded after school programs, and helped build five community centers in the city. Chow stated her greatest achievements was getting the late night recreation centers and pulling together Asian gang leaders. In 1996, Chow worked as interim principal at West Seattle’s Madison Middle School while on the council, which received some criticism from community members.

She decided not to run for reelection to her council seat in 1997 and instead ran for Seattle mayor. In the September primary election, Chow failed to advance 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. In the August primary, Chow came in second and advanced to the general election with political newcomer, Judy Nicastro coming in first. Chow outraised Nicastro by over $12,000 due to her support from landlords and business leaders. Chow and her supporters labeled Nicastro as a "radical leftist," and Nicastro and her supporters labeled Chow "mediocre."

Chow would narrowly lose the November General Election to Nicastro, 49.51% to 50.49%.

Post-council

After leaving the city council, Chow became an interim Principal at her ''alma mater,'' Franklin High School, and then at Garfield High School. In 2005, Chow was elected to the Seattle School Board. Chow served on the School Board until 2009 and served as Board President during her tenure.

Personal life

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

Cheryl Chow died on March 29, 2013 of central nervous system lymphoma at age 66, in Seattle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chow, Cheryl
1946 births
2013 deaths
Seattle City Council members
School board members in Washington (state)
Women in Washington (state) politics
American LGBTQ city council members
LGBTQ people from Washington (state)
American LGBTQ people of Asian descent
American lesbian politicians
American politicians of Chinese descent
Asian-American people in Washington (state) politics
Deaths from lymphoma in the United States
Deaths from cancer in Washington (state)
Schoolteachers from Washington (state)
American women educators
Western Washington University alumni
American women of Chinese descent in politics
Women city councillors in Washington (state)
City council members of Asian descent
Franklin High School (Seattle) alumni
21st-century American LGBTQ people
American women of Asian descent in politics
20th-century American women politicians
20th-century American politicians of Asian descent
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century American politicians of Asian descent