Norman Kwong

The Honourable Norman Lim Kwong 林佐民 CM AOE LLD
16th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
In office January 20, 2005 – May 11, 2010
Governor General	Adrienne Clarkson Michaëlle Jean
Premier	Ralph Klein Ed Stelmach
Preceded by	Lois Hole
Succeeded by	Donald Ethell
Personal details
Born	October 24, 1929 (1929-10-24) (age 82) Calgary, Alberta
Spouse(s)	Mary Kwong
Profession	Professional athlete (Canadian football) businessman
Signature

Norman Lim "Normie" Kwong, CM, AOE (born as Lim Kwong Yew; Chinese: 林佐民; Mandarin Pinyin: Lín Zuǒmín; Jyutping: Lam4 Cho3 Man4) (born October 24, 1929 in Calgary, Alberta) is a former professional athlete, sports executive, and was the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. On May 11, 2010, retired Canadian Forces Colonel Donald Ethell assumed the post.

His parents immigrated from Taishan, Guangdong, China, and he is the first person of Chinese heritage to serve as lieutenant-governor of Alberta. As the former vice-regal representative in Alberta, he is styled "The Honourable" for life. Kwong is the second Chinese Canadian to be appointed as a vice regal in Canada.

Sports career

Normie Kwong

Date of birth:	October 24, 1929 (1929-10-24) (age 82)
Place of birth:	Calgary, Alberta
Career information
Status:	Retired
CFL status:	Non-import
Position(s):	RB
Organizations
As player:
1948-1950 1951-1960	Calgary Stampeders Edmonton Eskimos
Career highlights and awards
Grey Cup champion (1948, 1954, 1955, 1956)
CFL West All-Star:	1951, 1953, 1955, 1956
Records:	Eskimos Record Most Rushing Touchdowns – Career (73)
Canadian Football Hall of Fame, 1969

After playing football at Western Canada High School, he went on to play for the Calgary Stampeders from 1948 to 1950 and, after a trade, the Edmonton Eskimos from 1951 until his retirement in 1960. Nicknamed the "China Clipper", Kwong was the first Chinese Canadian to play on a professional Canadian football team. A powerful fullback, in 11 years of recorded statistics Kwong rushed for 9,022 yards for an average of 5.2 yards per carry and scored 93 touchdowns. He won the Grey Cup four times during his career (1948, 1954, 1955, and 1956). Kwong was a Western Conference all-star running back and three-time winner of the Eddie James Memorial Trophy, in 1951, 1955 and 1956. He was named the Schenley Most Outstanding Canadian in 1955 and 1956. He was named Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1955. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1969, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975, the Edmonton Eskimos' Wall of Honour in 1983 (where his jersey #95 was retired), and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. In November 2006, he was one of very few of his contemporaries to be voted one of the Canadian Football League's Top 50 players of the sport's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.

He was president and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders from 1988 to 1991, leading the team to a loss in the Grey Cup final in 1991. Between 1980 and 1994, Kwong was a part owner of the Calgary Flames, having been one of the original group of six Calgary businessmen who bought and moved the NHL’s Atlanta Flames hockey team to Calgary in 1980.^[1] The Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989, making him one of few people whose name is on both the Grey Cup and the Stanley Cup.

Public service career

Kwong's public stature from sports helped him move on to politics and government. In 1971 he ran for the Alberta Progressive Conservative party in Calgary-Millican. In this election, the PCs ended Social Credit's 36-year hold on power, winning all but five seats in Calgary. However, Kwong himself was defeated by long time incumbent Arthur J. Dixon who won by a 1600 vote plurality.

In 1988 Kwong was made a member of the Order of Canada and has served as the national chairman of the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism. Kwong was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta on January 20, 2005, replacing Lois Hole, who died in office on January 6, 2005. Kwong welcomed Queen Elizabeth II to Alberta in June 2005 on a visit commemorating Alberta's first 100 years in Canadian Confederation. During a private audience the Queen presented Kwong with the insignia of a Knight of Justice in the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Kwong swore Ed Stelmach into office as the 13th Premier of Alberta on December 14, 2006. His term concluded on May 11, 2010, and he was succeeded by Don Ethell.

Arms

See also

• Honourable David Lam - former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and Canada's first vice-regal of Chinese heritage
• Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson - former Governor General of Canada and the first Chinese Canadian to serve the post

References

1. ^ The other original investors are Harley Hotchkiss, Ralph T. Scurfield, Daryl Seaman, Byron Seaman and Norman Green.
2. ^ Canadian Heraldic Authority (Volume V), Ottawa, 2007, pp. 119 

• CBC News - Jan 19 2005: Ex-footballer Normie Kwong Alberta's new lieutenant-governor
• Office of the Lieutenant Governor
• Canadian Encyclopedia: Calgary Flames
• CCNC - Chinese Canadians - Normie Kwong
• Government of Alberta News Release - Jan 19 2005: Premier Klein praises choice of new Lieutenant Governor
• Historica Minute: Normie Kwong
• The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Canada's Sports Hall of Fame profile

Order of precedence
Preceded by Catherine Fraser, The Chief Justice of The Court of Appeal of Alberta	Order of precedence in Alberta as of 2011[update]	Succeeded by Peter Lougheed, Former Premier of Alberta

Persondata
Name	Kwong, Norman
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 24, 1929
Place of birth	Calgary, Alberta
Date of death
Place of death