Born in Liberty, Mississippi, Mrs. Chambers came to Champaign in 1920 when she was thirteen years old. She was a cook at the University of Illinois residence halls, but especially values her family and her church work at Salem Baptist Church. She has been actively involved in the community and was director of the Douglass Peace Meals program. Her family originally came to Champaign to visit relatives, but her father got a job on the Illinois Central line and the family stayed. For over fifty years they lived on the comer of 4th and Tremont.