Meda Chamberlain obituary: South L.A. activist dies at 94

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A free-form sculptor, John Chamberlain crafted works from masses of crushed cars and automobile sheet metal. He was 84. Full obituary (Librado Romero / Associated Press)

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The heavyweight champ had epic bouts with Muhammad Ali. In 1971 he became the first fighter to defeat Ali, then lost two rematches. In his 37 professional fights, “Smokin’ Joe” won 32 times. But he never accepted his 1-2 record against Ali. He was 67. Full obituary

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Lillian Mobley, a tireless South Los Angeles activist, fought to establish the King/Drew hospital and its related medical school. Above, Mobley, right, looks on as Dr. George Locke greets Rep. Maxine Waters at King/Drew in 2004. She was 81. Full obituary

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Pratt was a former Black Panther whose 1972 murder conviction was overturned after he spent 27 years behind bars for a crime he said he did not commit. He was 63. Full obituary

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The legendary Norwegian runner became the face of the New York City Marathon, winning the race nine times. She also set four marathon world records. She was 57. Full obituary

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The biochemist won the 1976 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discovering the hepatitis B virus, which causes severe liver disease and cancer. He later developed the vaccine that protects against it. He was 85. Full obituary

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A prolific thinker and creator, he is credited with innovations in cable modems, interactive TV, airport metal detectors and the “packet switching” technology that helped lead to the Internet. Above, Baran receives the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Bush in 2008. He was 84. Full obituary

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The political reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist wrote more than four decades for the Washington Post, where he mentored countless colleagues. He appeared on “Meet the Press” some 400 times. He was 81. Full obituary

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Frank Buckles, the last American veteran of World War I, drove ambulances in France and later spent years in an internment camp after Japan’s invasion of the Philippines in WWII. He was 110. Full obituary

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By Valerie J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times

Aug. 13, 2011 12 AM PT

Meda Chamberlain, a longtime local leader of the National Council of Negro Women who spent three decades working in tandem with major civil-rights activist Dorothy Height, has died. She was 94.

Chamberlain, whose health had been in decline, died Aug. 5 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, her family said.

As executive director of the Southern California region of the council, Chamberlain once said her “prize” accomplishment was overseeing the Black Family Reunion Celebration in Los Angeles from 1986 to 1995.

Founded to counter negative images of the black family, the weekend celebration was tied to the national cultural event of the same name that owed its beginnings to Height.

“It went over so well in the community, it made Meda feel like she contributed something,” said her sister, Mary Bush.

After the Watts riots, Chamberlain helped the council’s View Park section establish a critically needed food co-op in the area, said Carolynn Martin, president the View Park branch that Chamberlain helped co-found in 1962.

When the council’s regional headquarters in South Los Angeles burned down during the riots, Chamberlain played a key role in finding and orchestrating the purchase of a new building on 54th Street, where the offices remain.

She also organized federally funded council programs that helped hundreds find jobs and spearheaded national educational initiatives, according to the council.

Another highlight from her years of service, according to her family, was a White House trip with Height to encourage then-President Lyndon Johnson to appoint more black women to government positions. Height died last year at 98.

Meda Howard was born July 11, 1917, in DeBerry, Texas. After her mother died when Meda was 4, she was raised by an aunt in Marshall, Texas.

At Bishop College in Marshall, Howard received a bachelor’s degree in education. She moved to the Los Angeles area in 1943, where she worked as a riveter in a shipyard.

In the 1940s she married William Chamberlain, an engineer who died in the late 1960s.

At USC, Chamberlain earned a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in psychology, according to the council.

For about 25 years, she taught elementary school in Whittier.

Her reputation as a baker extended beyond the peach cobbler she invariably brought to family gatherings. One local group lamented her absence by writing: “No more sweet potato pies, alas!”

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul Baptist Church, 100 W. 49th St., Los Angeles.

Besides her sister, Mary, Chamberlain is survived by four brothers, James Howard, Zohn’yia Howard, Bennie Howard and Louis Duffy.

valerie.nelson@latimes.com