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

Early life

Chow was born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

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 Ruby Chow (June 6, 1920 – June 4, 2008; ) was a Chinese American restaurateur and politician in Seattle, Washington. Early life On June 6, 1920 Chow was born on a fishing dock in Seattle, Washington. Her given name was Mar Seung-gum. Chow's ...

, who served as a

King County Council The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure i ...

woman, the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

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 Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

once worked. Chow graduated from Franklin High School and then attended

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, succeeding a pri ...

Career

Chow was a teacher at

Hamilton International Middle School Seattle Public Schools is the largest public school district in the state of Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park and Tukwila. As of 2018, 113 schools are operated by ...

, a public school in the

Seattle School District Seattle Public Schools is the largest public school district in the state of Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park and Tukwila. As of 2018, 113 schools are operated by ...

. Chow was a principal of Sharples Junior High School (now

Aki Kurose Middle School Academy Aki Kurose Middle School is a public secondary school in Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the la ...

). Besides being a teacher and principal, Chow also coached girls' basketball for the city parks and recreation department. From 199097, she served on the

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-lar ...

. Chow also served on the Seattle School Board and was president of the school board. After 1997, Chow was a principal of her ''alma mater'' Franklin High School and of Garfield High School. In 2005, Chow was elected to the Seattle School Board during a time where the district saw increasing school closures and instability.

Personal

Chow came out as 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.Obituary
, washelli.com; accessed October 19, 2014.

References

1946 births 2013 deaths Seattle City Council members School board members in Washington (state) Women in Washington (state) politics American LGBT city council members LGBT people from Washington (state) American LGBT people of Asian descent Lesbian politicians American politicians of Chinese descent Asian-American people in Washington (state) politics Deaths from lymphoma 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) Asian-American city council members Franklin High School (Seattle) alumni 21st-century American LGBT people 21st-century American women {{Washington-politician-stub