The collection is arranged in three series:

Series 1: Biographical, Certificates, Writings and Correspondence

Series 2: Photographs

Series 3: Oversized Items

A native of Appalachia, Margaret (Hess) Hay Edwards was a 1930 graduate of Villa Madonna Academy in Villa Hills, KY and a 1934 graduate of Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio.  Edwards taught high school mathematics and English for a short time in Kentucky (including the Villa Madonna Academy) before attending medical school. Margaret entered the medical profession after earning her M.D. from Temple University in 1949.

From 1952-1958, Dr. Edwards, M.D. was in private practice in Trenton, NJ, during which time she also served at the tumor clinic at Woman’s Medical College, Philadelphia.  She also earned a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University in 1960. Expertise in these fields, as well as her interest in teaching, led her to the National Cancer Institute in Washington, D.C. in 1963. It was here that she directed the NCI’s Training/Education Grant Program until her retirement in 1983. Dr. Edwards was instrumental in establishing peer-reviewed cancer education support mechanisms and was the author of numerous scientific publications.

The American Association for Cancer Education established the Margaret Hay Edwards Award in 1986 to honor sustained outstanding contributions to cancer education. Dr. Edwards gave a lifetime of service to others and was a lifelong friend and benefactor of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg Monastery in Kentucky.  Edwards retired in Seattle, WA, where she passed away on September 11, 1994.