May is Asian Heritage month! Last year, The Vic Voice celebrated with interviews from Vic’s very own Asian staff members. This year, we thought we’d broaden the field to bring awareness to some famous, important Asian Canadians who have made history who you should at least know the name of. Starting with a recommendation from Mr. Edwards: Norman “Normie” Kwong (Lim Kwong Yew).

While researching, I had to continue checking to see if I was reading about the same man simply because of all the accomplishments Kwong has to his name and how many lives he’s lived.

Kwong was born in Calgary to Chinese immigrants as the fifth of six siblings. He played football in high school before beginning his professional career in the Calgary Stampeders in 1948, the year after the revocation of the Chinese Exclusion Act in Canada. As the Stampeders’ halfback he broke records as the first Chinese Canadian to compete in the CFL and the youngest player to win the Gray Cup which was won in his first season on the team. Nicknamed “the China Clipper '' he was known for his sense of humour, even in gameplay and was quickly deemed an unlikely threat on the field. He was transferred to the Edmonton Elk where he spent 10 more years of his football career and won three more Gray Cups. His time with these teams had him inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, named the All Canadian Fullback five times, and given the Schenley award for Most Outstanding Canadian two years in a row. Despite his retirement in 1960, Kwong’s life in sports was nowhere near over.

Shortly after his retirement, he took up realty, going on to become general manager of Torode Realty which took up most of his time for some decades. He became the National Chairman of the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism for a year in 1979 and later an Honorary Chairman of the Easter Seal Campaign. In 1980 he became partial owner of the Calgary Flames, a title he kept until 1994 and in 1988, he went back to his roots, becoming general manager of the Calgary Stampeders until 1992.

Over a decade later, in 2005, presumably done with sports, Kwong was chosen to be Lieutenant Governor, subsequently becoming the sixth Chancellor of the Alberta Order of Excellence, the first Chinese Albertan to hold this title. Due to his hard work and consistent improvement of Alberta as whole he was given an Honorary doctorate of law from the University of Alberta and appointed Knight in the order of St. John of Jerusalem. Overall a pretty well rounded guy.

He passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, leaving behind his wife, their four children and 10 grandchildren.

The thing I love so much about this story is how much it means to so many people. Kwong broke boundaries as a Chinese man in Canada and broke records as a football player. And that can mean so much to people. I never really understood the patriotism behind sports but the people who do were affected by Kwong as well. He wasn’t just the story of an Asian man adding diversity to a team. He was the story of a man leading a team to victory.