Former Lt.-Gov. Norman Kwong to receive state memorial

CFL pioneer, early Calgary Flames owner and Alberta's 16th lieutenant-governor Norman Kwong, who died Saturday, will receive a public state memorial following a private funeral service Sept. 13, the province announced Monday.

Kwong became the first Canadian of Asian heritage to play for the CFL when he joined the Calgary Stampeders in 1948, according to his Legislative Assembly of Alberta's biography.

• Norman Kwong, CFL trailblazer and former Alberta lieutenant governor, dies at 86

At the age of 18, Kwong was also the youngest player to win a Grey Cup.

Kwong's 10-year career with the Edmonton Eskimos starting in the 1950s had him rubbing elbows with future Alberta premiers Peter Lougheed and Don Getty.

Greg Kwong said his father's many accomplishments did not affect his role as a father.

"I'd like people to know that his family was his priority. It wasn't his fame, fortune or any type of public accolades," Greg said Saturday.

"He wanted to make sure that his children were set on the right path and he did that."

Condolences from the public may be offered in Edmonton at the Alberta Legislature (10800 97 Ave.) and Calgary at McDougall Centre (455 6 St. S.W.) within certain hours or online.

More details on the public state memorial will follow.

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