Remembering Cheryl Chow: Seattle City Council’s principled principal

Since 1990, Chau has been a member of the Seattle City Council.

Before that, she had a long career in education here in Seattle, first as a teacher and later as principal of two separate middle schools.

I became the director of Seattle Center in 1988, and I think Cheryl became a new council member in 1990.

I'm wondering, for you growing up in a household where you had a mother who was such a strong presence, both as a public figure and, I'm sure, just in the way that she helped raise your family, did you ever have a sense that getting involved in public life and public service Was that just in the air and in the water, and you just knew it was going to happen for you?

If you were living on a farm, 4-H club, you know, raising cows, going to the pialup fair would be kind of natural.

Well, community service would just be natural, because my parents were always giving back.

And they gave back because they know how important it was.

Her own circumstances gave her a great empathy, along with this drive to achieve.

So I don't think actually Cheryl would have ever thought about another alternative.

You know, public service was going to be what she did.

It's how she grew up.

Campaigning is who she is.

You know, there's a cause.

Working with kids just came naturally to her.

I really got to know Cheryl when I was elected to the city council and started serving in 1994. And it happened that I was the seventh woman elected to Seattle City Council out of nine, and there were two men.

But that was a council of seven women.

And very unique, certainly the first time in the city of Seattle, but I believe the first time in the United States that there was a major council with such a large majority of women.

We worked on particularly the revitalization of downtown and that was a major, major issue and Cheryl was extraordinarily supportive of all of the work for the revitalization of downtown and that included the Nordstrom's building and reopening Pine Street and You know, many, many different issues, but it was the hallmark, clearly, of that term with the council and then Mayor Rice.

Even though there's changes and people differ on how to deal with change, They know that the change is going to be good because it's all about education.

It's about best practices.

Everything that she was about in the time that I was with her was really about advancing the welfare of children, and particularly children from more disadvantaged circumstances.

She was working very hard to level the playing field, and her commitment was clear.

And it wasn't just a public policy commitment.

She was a coach.

She was working and leading the drill team.

She was advancing the ball with the Girl Scouts.

She'd been a principal earlier in her career.

And so it was clearly a thread that was absolutely as deeply woven into who Cheryl is as anything that I ever came across.

You know, you alluded to the idea of your sports, the sports part of your life.

And to somebody on the outside, they might think, oh, well, the thing that best prepared Cheryl Chow to be president of the school board is that she'd been a member of the Seattle City Council as well.

And they wouldn't necessarily guess that it's, well, your preparation as a girls' basketball coach, as somebody who leads the Seattle Chinese drill team.

Tell me a little bit more just about how your coaching life influences your board life.

I didn't have sports when I grew up because we didn't have Title IX yet.

And so the drill team, the Chinese drill team that my mother started in 1952, gave me an opportunity to participate with other girls in a mission and a goal to work together to be the best drill team.

As I became a teacher, a physical education teacher and health teacher, I teach kids sports.

And so that's how I got into sports, and I've been coaching for 45 years.

It's just amazing how time flies.

She has an amazing amount of energy.

I like, personally, her playful side, her little bit of edginess that is unexpected.

You know, she presents in a pretty formalized way, and then you get this little twinkle.

She was a mentor to so many people, just helped so many Asian girls, especially, to be inspired.

If she could do it, then they could do it as well.

And for the Chinese community, of course, the Chow name is legend, and she has carried on that legend and added to it.

I became a teacher to help children succeed.

I became a council member to help children and families succeed.

Her legacy with me will always be about kids and about making sure that we take care of all of our children and do our very best to provide them with all of the opportunities that we would want for any of our own children.

There's a book called Bread in the Bone.

It is definitely bread in the bone of Cheryl, that she is Cheryl.

That's I think what I most respect about her is that she is totally 100% Cheryl and now she has owned all of her and it's spectacular to watch.

Oh gosh, she's so important to us because she inspires us.

We know that we have the support of someone like Cheryl.

I know that all the girls who were mentored by her certainly knew that she was with them day to day in every facet of their lives.

So she has done so much personally for individuals as well as the whole community.

I'd like to say thank you to Cheryl for her leadership and her dedication as a public servant from all of the citizens of Seattle, and particularly the children and youth that she has mentored and led as a role model.

I've just been very lucky.

Every job I've been in, whether it's in politics or public education and now at the Girl Scouts, I just enjoy it.

It has to do with people.

It has to do with making a positive impact.

It has to do with supporting people.

Cheryl, I just wish you the very best.

I know that your young, your sweet daughter will carry on the great Chow legacy with a bit of Morningstar mixed in.

Maraming salamat, Cheryl, and all the very best.