Wikipedia

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.

Cheryl Chow
Cheryl Chow, 1997
Member of the Seattle City Council
from Position 8
In office
January 1, 1990 – January 1, 1998
Preceded byJeanette Williams
Succeeded byRichard McIver
Personal details
BornCheryl Mayre Chow
(1946-05-24)May 24, 1946
Seattle, Washington
DiedMarch 29, 2013(2013-03-29) (aged 66)
Seattle, Washington
PartyDemocratic
SpouseSarah Morningstar (m. March 16, 2013)
RelationsRuby Chow (Mother)
Edward Shui "Ping" Chow (Father)
ChildrenLiliana Morningstar-Chow
Western Washington University (BA)

Early life

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Chow was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 24, 1946.[1] 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.[2] Her parents also owned Ruby Chow's restaurant, where Bruce Lee once worked.[3] Chow's maternal grandparents were Chinese immigrants who had come to the United States to work on the railroad lines.[3]

Chow graduated from Franklin High School and then attended Western Washington University.[4]

Career

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After college, Chow worked as a physical education teacher at Hamilton International Middle School, a public school in the Seattle School District.[4]

Chow also coached girls' basketball for the city parks and recreation department and became an instructor for the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, which was started by her mother.[4][5] Chow coached the drill team for almost 50 years.[6] She coached basketball for the Seattle Chinese Athletic Association for around 30 years.[7]

In 1975, Chow became Principal at Sharples Junior High School (now Aki Kurose Middle School Academy).[4][8][9] Chow became assistant principal of Garfield High School in 1981, and in 1982 she served as principal of Madison Junior High.[9]

In 1985, Chow ran for the King County Council for the seat her mother was retiring from, ultimately losing the election.[10] Before running for Seattle City Council, she worked at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.[10] Between 1983 and 1989 she served as the administrative supervisor for middle schools, Area Director, and Director II.[9]

Seattle City Council

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In 1989, Chow ran for Seattle City Council against longtime incumbent Jeanette Williams.[11] In the November general election Chow narrowly defeated Williams, 50% to 49%.[12] She ran for reelection in 1993, winning in a landslide with 74% of the vote.[12]

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.[11] On the latter committee she helped create the Urban Rest Stop to provide services to unsheltered people in Downtown Seattle.[13] 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.[5][14] Chow stated her greatest achievements was getting the late night recreation centers and pulling together Asian gang leaders.[5] 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.[14]

She decided not to run for reelection to her council seat in 1997 and instead ran for Seattle mayor.[11] In the September primary election, Chow failed to advance past the primary.[15]

In 1999, Chow ran for Seattle City Council in Position 1 after council member Sue Donaldson decided not to run for office.[16] In the August primary, Chow came in second and advanced to the general election with political newcomer, Judy Nicastro coming in first.[17] Chow outraised Nicastro by over $12,000 due to her support from landlords and business leaders.[18] Chow and her supporters labeled Nicastro as a "radical leftist," and Nicastro and her supporters labeled Chow "mediocre."[19]

Chow would narrowly lose the November General Election to Nicastro, 49.51% to 50.49%.[20]

Post-council

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After leaving the city council, Chow became an interim Principal at her alma mater, Franklin High School, and then at Garfield High School.[8][11] In 2005, Chow was elected to the Seattle School Board.[8] Chow served on the School Board until 2009 and served as Board President during her tenure.[10][21] She also worked for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington as their Director of Outreach.[22]

Honors

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Chow was inducted into Franklin High School's hall of fame in 1992. She had graduated from the school and served there as principal.[23] In 2012, the City of Seattle declared September 17 "Cheryl Chow Day", and in 2013, the Seattle Organization of Chinese Americans gave her the Golden Circle Award.[22]

In 2015, the Low Income Housing Institute opened the Cheryl Chow Court Apartments in Ballard, offering 50 reduced-rent apartments to senior citizens, many of whom had previously been unsheltered.[13]

In 2024, the Seattle City Council named Cheryl Chow Boulevard after Chow, placing a street sign next to Franklin High School, at South Mount Baker Boulevard and 31st Avenue South.[6]

In 2025, the city opened Cheryl Chow Park at South Charlestown Street and 35th Avenue South in Rainier Valley.[7]

Personal life

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Chow came out as a lesbian in August 2012.[24] On March 16, 2013, less than two weeks before her death, Chow married her partner of ten years, Sarah Morningstar.[8] Together, they have a daughter, Liliana Morningstar-Chow.[8] Chow and Morningstar began running marathons as a hobby because the training allowed them to be together in public.[24]

Cheryl Chow died on March 29, 2013 of central nervous system lymphoma at age 66, in Seattle.[1]

References

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  1. 1 2 Cheryl Mayre Chow obituary, Seattle Times via legacy.com; accessed October 19, 2014.
  2. ↑ Cruz, Jason (July 13, 2011). "Remembering Ping Chow". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Valdes, Manuel (June 8, 2008). "Ruby Chow, Seattle's Chinese-American matriarch, dies". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Cheryl Chow speaking at 34th District Democrats meeting, Seattle, July 12, 1989". Museum of History & Industry. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Alison Morrow (March 29, 2013). "Obituary". Northwest Cable News. Retrieved December 4, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. 1 2 Macdonald, Moira (June 27, 2024). "Coming out was Cheryl Chow's last gift to Seattle | Seattle Pride at 50". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Kodama, Yuko (April 4, 2025). "Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Will Celebrate Cheryl Chow Park, a New Multigenerational Space for Rainier Valley". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Cheryl Chow, educator and former city council member, passes away at 66". Northwest Asian Weekly. April 5, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Egge, Rose (March 11, 2013). "Seattle School Board honors Cheryl Chow". KOMO. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 Hefter, Emily (March 29, 2013). "Cheryl Chow dies: City Council member, educator, advocate for children". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Cheryl Chow Subject Files, 1988-1995". Archive West. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "General and Special Elections". Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Porter, Shawn (May 6, 2015). "Cheryl Chow Court—50 new low income apartments become homes". International Examiner. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Howland Jr., George (October 9, 2006). "Cheryl's chow". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ Steffen, Alex (August 5, 1999). "CHARIOTS OF FIRE". The Stranger. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  17. ↑ Couric, Katie (September 16, 1999). "Primary Night Fever". The Stranger.
  18. ↑ "Seattle's Pragmatic Populist". The Stranger. January 25, 2001. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  19. ↑ Corr, O. Casey (October 27, 1999). "Nicastro Doesn't Deserve This Political Mugging". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  20. ↑ "November 2, 1999 General Election". King County Elections. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  21. ↑ Rolph, Amy (December 6, 2006). "School Board elects Chow president". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  22. 1 2 "Cheryl Chow: 1946-2013 - Courageous Educator, Community Leader and Child Advocate Passes On". International Examiner. April 3, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  23. ↑ Morningstar, Sarah (Spring 2024). Duryee, Mary (ed.). "Cheryl Chow, '64 is remembered in a street sign…" (PDF). Quaker Times. Vol. 30. pp. 6–7. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Former Seattle city councilwoman Cheryl Chow's last crusade". King5. August 22, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
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