Albertans are being invited to pay tribute to former Lt.-Gov. Norman Kwong, who died on Saturday at the age of 86.
A public state memorial for Kwong will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 3 p.m. at First Alliance Church in Calgary.
Public seating will be available on a first-come, first-seated basis. People are asked to be seated for the memorial by 2:40 p.m.
Known among family and friends as the so-called “China Clipper,” Kwong was the first Canadian of Asian heritage to play for the CFL when he joined the Calgary Stampeders in 1948.
READ MORE: Alberta’s former Lt.-Gov. and football star Norman Kwong dead at 86
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As the youngest player to win a Grey Cup and an early owner of the Calgary Flames, Kwong is being remembered fondly by those who knew him.
“Normie was just a great guy,” said Bryan Hall, sportscaster for 630 CHED in Edmonton. “He was marvelous in the dressing room. I started broadcasting the Eskimos in ’65 – he had retired in 1960 – but he never lost touch with the Eskies, even though his home was in Calgary.”
“The China Clipper, yes, he got the Order of Canada, he went on to become the Lieutenant Governor of our province and all these other things… but as a guy – just as a guy – he was just so quiet spoken.”
People from across Canada, the U.S. and as far as Beijing, China have been posting public messages of condolences on a government website set up Sunday.
The public is invited to offer tributes and messages for the family in a book of condolences at Calgary’s McDougall Centre (455 6 St. S.W.) and at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton (10800 97 Ave.).
The memorial service for Kwong will be livestreamed on the Norman Kwong memorial page.
The Hon. Norman L. Kwong Memorial Fund has been set up to support youth in sports, with a focus on the underprivileged and new Canadians.
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