Amy Chamberlain Biography

Amy was the brightest of stars, and lived her life in a truly audacious blur of laughter and motion and positive energy. Amy was that rare person who lived her beliefs. Amy was born and raised in San Francisco, attending University High School before heading off to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1995 at Bucknell University with a double major in education and English literature, with a year abroad in Denmark. She then worked for two years in Boston for the Horn Book company, which produces digests of children's literature.

That job inspired her to work for a year in South Africa on a project developing children's literature for developing countries. She then earned a master's degree in English literature in 2000 at Mills College, after which she worked for the Packard Foundation as assistant communications director for two years. She went from there to AYUSA, a global youth exchange program. She also volunteered her time and leadership for an astonishing number of organizations, including serving on the Development / Fundraising Committee at BAWT for over three years. That generosity of spirit also meant that Amy made friends everywhere she went - and she went seemingly everywhere.

Her exuberant smile and natural sense of humor made Amy a natural friend to everyone. Amy's physical energy was equally intense - she ran marathons, including Boston in 2003, biked, (often to work), swam and hiked. Her vigor was the stuff of legend, and much of it was expressed in the mountains and natural areas where she felt most at home. Amy spent her summers in the outdoors with her family at their cabin community in Soda Springs.

She was at the top of her game in every aspect when she died in a drowning accident on the Fourth of July in 2005 at the age of 32. She will always be remembered by those who knew her as an ambitious, fun, energetic person who always brought out the best in others. Amy was an amazing person and touched the lives of so many people in so many different places. Amy always stood out from others -- her sense of humor, her infectious laugh, her compassion, her thoughtfulness, and her big heart.

To read more about Amy, please visit this online memorial.