July 2019

Page A25 JULY 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Chambers Funeral Home, Bessemer, AL African American Funeral Home Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Awards By E lleanor S tarks B easley , CFSP Founder and Executive Director 100 B lack W omen of F uneral S ervice , I nc . The 100 Black Women of Funeral Service, Inc. was founded in Kissimmee, FL in 1993 after a two year period of consultations and research on the role they would play in the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association–The Nation's Oldest African American Funeral Service Organization. The four goals of the 100BWFS organization are: 1. Women's leadership and award recognition. 2. Mentoring and scholarship assistance for mortuary students, matching them with experienced licensed professionals to assist their development and licensure. 3. Community service projects. 4. Building a stronger network for females entering a male dominated profession. 25 years later the 100BWFS has been involved in numerous awards and projects including: • Living Legends of Funeral Service, recognition for 50 or more dedicated years in the profession. • Mortuary Science Educator of the Year. • African American Funeral Service History Museum and Hall of Fame induction, which we will be showcasing for the next 11 months. • Breast Cancer Awareness Project, showcased in October along with the NFDA Convention. We are proud of all of our VIP Life Members, staff, exhibitors and the many members and suppliers who support us through the Memorial Scholarship Program and The Gift of Funeral Education, especially Nomis Publications, Inc. and Batesville Casket Co., who have supported us since we organized in 1993. We thank each of you who read our articles in the Funeral Home and Cemetery News each month. We are always looking H all of F ame A wards A frican A merican F uneral S ervice H istory M useum 8 - 7 - 18 • 2PM Kissimmee, Florida for phenomenal women to join our ranks and help us work toward 25 more years of excellence for a new generation funeral caregivers. Email Hundredbwfs@aol.com. The Family and Staff of Chambers Funeral Home August Chambers III BryOnda Williams Collins Geneva Morton Haugabrooks the Chambers Funeral Home. Augus- tus Jr assumed ownership of the firm in 1975, after his sister’s death, and in 1988, leadership within the funeral home trans- ferred to his wife Jacqueline Chambers, son August Chambers III, and his niece Augusta D. Chambers upon his death. Presently the funeral home is operated by president Augustus III and vice president BryOnda Williams Collins. Congratulations to the late Laura Chambers and the staff at Chambers Funeral Home on their induction into the 2019 100 Black Women of Funeral Service African American Funeral Home Hall of Fame. Laura Chambers and her son Augustus C. Cham- bers, Sr., partnered to es- tablish the Laura Cham- bers Funeral Home in 1935, which they operat- ed in the bottom portion of their two-storied home. Laura’s vision was shared by her friends, Catherine Malone and Minnie Lee Edwards, who were influ- ential in their contribution to the funeral home. In 1959, Laura passed away, leaving Gus to operate the business alone. He died in 1969 leaving his chil- dren, Augustus C. Cham- bers, Jr and Augusta El- len Chambers to carry on the family legacy. Togeth- er, they incorporated the business and built a new facility in 1971, which is the present location of Haugabrooks Funeral Home, Atlanta, GA African American Funeral Home Hall of Fame Established in 1929 by Geneva Morton Hauga- brooks, the Haugabrooks Funeral Home in Atlan- ta, GA operated with one hearse and a limited num- ber of employees. Phone lines where shared with Murph’s Springs Print Shop and later moved to the basement of Shaw Tem- ple Church, which was a hub for African American black businesses. Prior to establishing her own funer- al home, Geneva managed the A.B. Cummings Fu- neral Home for 8 years. Geneva entrusted the gen- eral management of the mortuary to her nephews, CH Sherwood and LP Sherwood. Renovations of the present facility began in 1994 under the leadership of her grandson and licensed funeral director, Marcus Wimby, and were com- pleted in 1995. The funeral home is now under a corpo- rate structure with Wimby serving as CEO and James M. Tucker, as president. Congratulations to the late Geneva Haugabrooks and the staff at Haugabrooks Funeral Home on their in- duction into the 2019 100 Black Women of Funeral Ser- vice African American Fu- neral Home Hall of Fame. S E N D U S Y O U R N E W S ! 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