Edie Huggins

Huggins was born Edith "Eddie" Lou Thompson on August 14, 1935, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. She became known as Edie (pronounced Eedee) later in life. She graduated from Bartlett High School in St. Joseph in 1953. After being denied entrance to the University of Missouri due to her race, she attended the University of Nebraska on a music scholarship. She was the first African-American to be crowned Miss Cornhusker in 1954. She dropped out of school to marry Hastings Huggins. while working at night as a nurse. ==Career==

She moved to New York City when her husband took a job at IBM. She was inducted into The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2002. Huggins was a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Professionally, Huggins was often cited by colleagues as a mentor and was affectionately referred to as "Miss Edie" by younger reporters and staff throughout the Philadelphia television news industry. In 2006, Huggins was cast in the lead role in the independent film So Big, which debuted on May 3, 2008, at International House in Philadelphia. ==Death==

Edie Huggins died of lung cancer on July 29, 2008, at the age of 72. She was survived by her two children, Hastings Edward Huggins and Laurie Linn. A memorial service held at Huggins's church, Bright Hope Baptist Church, in North Philadelphia was attended by many members of Philadelphia's media. ==References==