Edith Hambie
*Edith A. Hambie was born on this date in 1937. She was a Black scientist, research microbiologist, educator, and activist.
From Decatur, GA., Edith Amos Hambie received her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University in 1974 and her Master's in Microbiology in 1979 from Clark Atlanta University.
She began her career at CDC in 1964 as a laboratory aide, working her way up over the years to become a Research Microbiologist at the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). In 1994 she was named the Human Resources Diversity Coordinator for NCID. In 1995 she was a Health Scientist, Diversity Coordinator of the James A. Ferguson Fellowship Program in the Office of Minority and Women's Health, NCID. She was a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Board, the CDC Mentoring Group, the Diversity in Action Framework Group, and the CDC-ATSDR Minority Initiatives Coordinating Committee (CAMICC).
Hambie also was president of the Georgia School Board Association. Hambie always saw the link between work and community, education and professional development. Her lifelong efforts at CDC and in the broader community were two sides of the same bright coin. One of the first Black microbiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she worked at the agency for 44 years. Hambie received numerous awards, including the William C. Watson Jr. Medal of Excellence, the first-ever recipient of CDC's Minority Health Mentor Medal of Excellence, the Employee Humanitarian Service Award, the Atlanta Federal Executive Board Federal Employee of the Year Award, the Public Health Service Superior Award, the National School Boards Association Award for Distinguished Service, and the Georgia School Boards Association Award of Excellence.
She was a member of the American Society for Microbiology, Sigma XI, Scientific Research Society of North America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Beta Kappa Chi, Scientific Honor Society, CDC Mentoring Steering Committee, Atlanta University Center Biology Honor Society, Beta Kappa Chi, Scientific Honor Society, and Honorary Life Member of the Georgia Congress of Parents and Teachers. She was also active in her sorority, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Society. In 2006, the City of Decatur Board of Education named the new Decatur City Schools Professional Learning Center the Edith A. Hambie Professional Learning Center.
She and her husband, James, had four children and seven grandchildren. Hambie was a devoted leader of the New Beginning Full Gospel Baptist Church. She served as Chairperson of the Trustee Board and participated in numerous church programs to enhance the quality of life of its members and the broader community. Edith Hambie died of breast cancer in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 16, 2006.
City of Decatur Schools
758 Scott Boulevard
Decatur, Georgia 30030
