Commercial Appeal — "Redesign of Tom Lee Park in Memphis lives up to its namesake"

Tom Lee’s great-grandniece speaks out in support of Tom Lee Park in an Op Ed:

“Over the years, it was an uphill battle for my family to be directly involved in any Tom Lee Park activation despite our requests. This year, when the Memphis River Parks Partnership reached out to me with their new designs for Tom Lee Park, I was blown away.

I began to see the larger implications of the project, all of the great things we could do for the city and residents with a reconsideration of a simple park. I was relieved that Tom Lee’s legacy would live on with such a sincere, innovative and kind tribute after all that my family and I have done to keep that legacy alive.

Redeveloping the park is a great tribute to this 200-year-old city

Cities thrive, or they wither, based on how they react to change. It took half a century, then finally a violent act of nature, for Memphis to move forward and give Tom Lee a proper memorial more appropriate to the city’s aspirational culture. Today, Memphis has another opportunity to move forward — to nurture that culture with the creation of a brand-new Tom Lee Park.

The park is already a great public space, but I support the Memphis River Parks Partnership’s efforts to redevelop the park not just because of my lineage, but because of my desire to go beyond greatness by helping bring their vision to life.

We’re creating something that’s worthy of a 200-year-old city growing to embrace inclusivity, ambition, equality and change.

Tom Lee did a noble deed. Let’s do another one by giving generations of Memphians a world-class riverfront park that can enrich them every single day.”

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