In Memoriam: Betty Shabazz

Dr. Betty Shabazz, the educator, civil rights advocate, and widow of the slain activist Malcolm X, died June 23 from injuries suffered in a June 1 fire in her home. She was 61.

Dr. Shabazz was a special friend of Columbia whose relationship with the Health Sciences dates from 1983, when the University, along with the city and state of New York, began plans to develop the Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology Park on the site of the Audubon Ballroom. The ballroom is where Dr. Shabazz's husband, Malcolm X, was shot to death during a speech in 1965. It was Dr. Shabazz who proposed a living memorial, which became the Malcolm X Medical Scholarships for minority medical students enrolled at Columbia.

To date, more than 20 students who are dedicated to providing medical service in minority and underserved communities have been Malcolm X scholars. Malcolm X graduates of P&S now serve in fields as diverse as anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, and pediatrics. The scholarship helps pay students' tuition and living expenses and is supported through endowed funds of Columbia.

Since 1991, Dr. Shabazz had been a member of the Columbia-Presbyterian Health Sciences Advisory Council. She was an active participant in advisory council meetings, most recently participating in the April meeting of the council.

"We are privileged to have known and worked with Dr. Shabazz," says Columbia President George Rupp. "The Malcolm X Medical Scholarship will be a tribute going forward to the spirit of her husband and to Betty herself. She was a true friend who will be deeply missed."