Edwin M Lee Memorial Foundation Previous Events
MAYOR EDWIN M. LEE MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT – SEATTLE – 2023
Ed Lee was an avid golfer and strong friend and supporter of public golf courses and programs the public could readily access. His passion for golf was met with his passion for community service by organizing, sponsoring and participating in charitable golf tournaments throughout his adult life.
To further his legacy, family and friends, in collaboration with OCA – Greater Seattle, organized the third annual SF Mayor Edwin M. Lee Memorial Golf Tournament in September 2023 at the Auburn Golf Course.
Once again, we were excited and blessed with the strong interest and support from volunteers, participants, and national and local sponsors. Special acknowledgements to our lead sponsors: Applied Underwriters, Sea Mar, The Conway Family and OCA-Greater Seattle, our fiscal sponsor and active committee partners.
The event was a huge success raising significant funds to benefit student scholarships and local nonprofits. Nearly 200 players, volunteers, and golf course staff joined together on a cool fall day to participate in this event. A full list of sponsors, business and community supporters, and other related information can be found at the ELMGT website.
More photos from the event can be found at the ELMGT Gallery.
MAYOR EDWIN M. LEE MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT – SEATTLE – 2022
Ed Lee was an avid golfer and strong friend and supporter of public golf courses and programs the public could readily access. His passion for golf was met with his passion for community service by organizing, sponsoring and participating in charitable golf tournaments throughout his adult life.
To further his legacy on charitable golf tournaments, family and friends, in collaboration with OCA – Greater Seattle, organized the second SF Mayor Edwin M. Lee Memorial Golf Tournament in June 2022 at the Auburn Golf Course. The event also remembered the late Deems Tsutakawa, nationally recognized jazz pianist, who was a high school classmate and great friend of Ed’s.
After a two-year absence due to effects from the covid pandemic, we were excited and blessed with the strong interest and support from volunteers, participants and national and local sponsors. Special acknowledgements to our lead sponsors: Liberty Mutual, Sea Mar, and the OCA-Greater Seattle, our fiscal sponsor and active committee partners.
A full list of sponsors, along with tournament winners and other related information can be found at the ELMGT website.
The event was a huge success selling out weeks in advance, and raising significant funds to benefit student scholarships and local nonprofits. Nearly 200 players, volunteers, and golf course staff joined together on a bright sunny day to participate in this family-oriented event.
Many of the participants expressed their appreciation and gratefulness for the opportunity to gather with family and friends to recognize a local native son who despite humble beginnings, rose to become one of the most admired leaders of our time.
DOCUMENTARY FILM – MAYOR ED LEE
On November 23, 2019, the Lee Family hosted the Seattle Premiere of the documentary film “Mayor Ed Lee” – a film produced by two-time Emmy award winning broadcaster Rick Quan in partnership with the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco. The event took place at Franklin High School with close to 400 attendees.
The film showcases the life and character of Mayor Lee and his upbringing. A seemingly ordinary man, he was the son of working-class immigrants, lived in Seattle’s public housing, became a champion of civil rights and equal opportunity as an attorney in San Francisco, and rose to become San Francisco’s first Chinese American mayor.
Stories and reflections from Mayor Lee’s family, childhood friends, former Mayor Willie Brown, current SF Mayor London Breed, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Washington Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, and others, were included in the film.
The Seattle event was made possible thanks to the generous support of the following sponsors:
Franklin High School
Deems Tsutakawa Band
Jones Soda Company
UW American Ethnic Studies
Seattle OCA Advocates/PICA (OCA – Asian Pacific Advocates of Greater Seattle/Preconquest Indigenous Cultures and its Aftermath)
CACA (Chinese American Citizens Alliance)
APICAT (API Coalition Advocating Together for Health)
Seattle First Hill Lions Club
New Seasons Market
Kin On
Homestyle Dim Sum
MAYOR EDWIN M. LEE MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT – SEATTLE – 2019
Ed Lee was an avid golfer and strong friend and supporter of public golf courses and programs the public could readily access. His passion for golf was met with his passion for community service by organizing, sponsoring and participating in charitable golf tournaments throughout his adult life.
To further his legacy on charitable golf tournaments, family and friends organized the first SF Mayor Edwin M. Lee Memorial Golf Tournament in June, 2019 in the Seattle area. The event also paid tribute to Dr. John Lee (no relation to Ed Lee), also an avid golfer and founder of the Bogey Bear Jr. Golf Foundation of Seattle, a charitable organization providing basic and positive life skill opportunities for inner-city youth through the game of golf. The Bogey Bear Foundation was the designated beneficiary of the net proceeds from that tournament.
Thanks to the tremendous outpouring of support from the organizers, community, players, sponsors and others, the event was a huge success selling out weeks in advance, raising substantial funds, and benefitting hundreds of youths served through Bogey Bear. Over 180 players, volunteers, and golf course staff joined together on a bright sunny morning to participate in this family-oriented event held at the Auburn Golf Course, followed by a nice BBQ lunch and fun-filled awards and raffle prize banquet (see pictures).
Many of the participants expressed their appreciation and gratefulness for the opportunity to gather with family and friends to recognize a local native son who despite humble beginnings, rose to become one of the most admired leaders of our time; and also remember the founder of the BB Jr. Foundation that continues to nourish the positive development of today’s youth.
Efforts to host another golf tournament to benefit other charitable organizations were stymied by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The family of Mayor Ed Lee are monitoring the pandemic and are hopeful that conditions will improve soon. We have begun planning activities to present The Mayor Edwin M. Lee Memorial Golf Tournament 2022. While many details have yet to be worked out, we’re delighted with the strong interest and support expressed from many of you and potential sponsors.
