Dr. Nathie Marbury (1944-2013)
She was the first Black deaf woman to enter the National Leadership Training Program for the Deaf at California State University, Northridge and the first Black deaf female teacher at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School for the Deaf in Washington, DC. Through teaching and advocacy, she shared her passion for American Sign Language and Deaf culture.
Nathie was born in Grenada, Mississippi in 1944 but grew up in Pennsylvania. She graduated from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in 1962. In 1975, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics from Gallaudet University. She then received her two Master of Arts degrees in 1976 from California State University at Northridge (CSUN), one in Administration and Supervision and the other in Special Education. Nathie pursued doctoral coursework in applied linguistics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and earned her doctoral degree in 2007 specializing in Deaf studies/Deaf education at Lamar University.
Nathie was a true pioneer at heart. She became the first Black deaf woman to enter the National Leadership Training Program for the Deaf at California State University, Northridge. Not only that, she was also the first Black deaf female instructor at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School for the Deaf, 1978-1986. That wasn’t enough for Nathie, she was also the first Black deaf woman to serve on the NAD board as an appointed Member-at-Large with Dr. Rosen as President.