It’s with great sadness that we hear of the passing of Mrs. Chambers, an incredible animal advocate.
“Mrs. Chambers’s compassion, generosity, and commitment to our communities was exemplary and truly remarkable. Her impact on the mission of the Atlanta Humane Society and the animals in greatest need has been and will continue to be felt for generations to come”, said Cal Morgan, President and CEO of the Atlanta Humane Society.
For years, Mrs. Chambers supported the Atlanta Humane Society and ensured that Atlanta’s animals received the love and care they deserved. In 2015, we created a humane heroine award to honor her love and incredible support of animals in need. We honored Mrs. Chambers with this award at our Saks Fifth Avenue Haute Hounds Fashion Luncheon.
At the fashion show, you could see Mrs. Chambers’s passion for animals every time she saw a puppy come down the walkway. As each puppy passed by, she would reach over to her son and say, “Does that puppy need a home?”, hinting that the home would be with her, to which he would reply, “No, mom.”.
After the show, James Cox Chambers accepted the humane heroine award on his mother’s behalf. He highlighted the modesty of his mother, noting she often said “she did nothing.” “If only we all could be like mother and just do nothing,” James said, “the world would be a better place.”
Mrs. Chambers graciously agreed that the Atlanta Humane Society could name the award after her, and since then, this award has been given to Atlanta women who show incredible support for the animals in our community. The past honorees include Ginny Millner, Cindy Voyles, Jenny Pruitt, and Kay Quigley. This year’s Anne Cox Chambers Humane Heroine will honor yet another remarkable animal advocate, Pamela Isdell, who will be presented the award on Sunday, April 26 at our annual Bow Wow Brunch.
Mrs. Chambers helped to make the Atlanta Humane Society’s Mansell Campus possible and the Adoption Center at our Mansell Road location is named in her honor. Through the years, she adopted many dogs from the Atlanta Humane Society including Missy and Sam who were featured as the AJC Pet of the Week.
An article in Atlanta Magazine had quoted Mrs. Chambers recalling the day she saw Missy and Sam in the AJC Pet of the Week.
“I always look at the [AJC] Pet of the Week. So one day, it was not one, it was two: Missy and Sam. And Sam is a beautiful cocker spaniel, and Missy is the white one here. So they were the Pet of the Week, and they were five years old and had never been separated. And it was hoped that someone would take both of them. Well, when I read that . . . I restrained. I didn’t call on Sunday. So on Monday afternoon, I gave Becky [her assistant] the article and asked, “Would you just call and see if they’ve been adopted?” [Later] Becky came in and stood in the doorway and said, “They’re waiting for you!” So I said, “Come on, Becky, let’s go get them!” So we went out to the [Atlanta] Humane Society, and they opened the door into the corridor, and [the dogs] both just came bounding out. They knew!”
Mrs. Chambers was also instrumental in ensuring the outdated kennels at our West Midtown location were renovated many years ago.
“Whenever the Atlanta Humane Society had a new or exciting vision, she was an Atlantan who stepped up to make that possible and help the animals,” said Joy Hallinan, Senior Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Atlanta Humane Society.
