Friday, November 1, 2013

Cancer Takes Another Victim: Donna Edler, 52, Former DeKalb School Board Member

A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at Carswell’s The Covenant Church, 1700 Corey Blvd., Decatur.
Donna Edler, Rest in Peace.
Photo Credit:  Crossroads News.

One of the two dissenting votes on the issue of cell towers on school grounds in July 2011 in DeKalb County, has now passed away from breast cancer complications after being in remission.  She publicly criticized the board at the time saying, "the school board has no business trying to provide cell service to DeKalb County."  And, if it isn't good for one school, then it isn't good for any school."   
Ms. Edler contacted us even when our own board member would not.  She cared.  She listened.  She wanted the children in DeKalb to have something better and she knew that the school board was not focused in the direction it should be.  If she had more time on this Earth, we are certain she would have found a way to continue helping the children, her community and even the school system.  She cared about others.  She rarely spoke of herself and her own struggles or that she was battling cancer. She remained strong in the public's eye at all times.  We are saddened to hear the news of her passing as she had many of us convinced that cancer was just an inconvenience for her and she would beat it.  Our prayers are with her and her family. 
We at Get the Cell Out - ATL send our condolences to Ms. Edler's husband and children during this difficult time.  Ms. Edler was one who was willing to swim upstream against a heavy tide and take whatever criticism was necessary if she knew she was doing the right thing.  We appreciate the fact that she was able to see through the poor planning and decision-making that was taking place at the time of the cell tower vote and that she voiced her concerns both to us personally as well as to the public during the meeting.  We appreciate the fact that she was willing to see beyond dollars and cents and understand that no child should have to face a potential health hazard at his/her school simply to satisfy a business deal that will help a business get ahead or a few investors make more money. 
 A human life, be it that of a child or an adult, is precious and deserves protection.  One man's risk should not lead to another man's peril, or worse, to the demise of an innocent child.  Thank you Donna Edler for understanding, listening and trying your best to make a difference.   Your strength of spirit will surely be remembered.
Below is an article from the AJC about Ms. Edler's recent passing:

Former DeKalb school board member Donna Edler dies
By Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Former DeKalb County school board member Donna Edler died Tuesday of complications of the cancer that she had battled since her run for office three years ago, her husband Darryl Edler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
When this photo was taken during
Donna Edler's reinstatement
 hearing on July 16, 2013, she
 was undergoing chemotherapy.
Photo Credit: Johnny Crawford, AJC

Edler was a strong-willed and outspoken member of the board that governs Georgia’s third-largest school district. She was known for standing her ground, and she wasn't shy about discussing the cancer that she thought she’d beat with a mastectomy several years ago.

Earlier this year, she publicly disclosed that the cancer was spreading again. It didn't temper her resolve to fight, though.

Edler was among the half dozen school board members removed by Gov. Nathan Deal. She died before hearing the outcome of a Georgia Supreme Court case over the constitutionality of the governor’s action. A decision, that might restore the removed members to office, is expected next month.

After unsuccessfully petitioning the governor for reinstatement, Edler filed another lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court, challenging her removal, in a case separate from the one before the high court. Edler, 52, was awaiting her day in the Fulton courthouse on Nov. 19, Darryl Edler said.

“She still believes there was an injustice done her,” he said.

Edler had three children, two grown and one in high school. She attended the University of Kansas on a track and field scholarship, and displayed the same kind of endurance in seeking public office.

She was drawn to politics by Barack Obama’s run for the presidency, joining his campaign and eventually becoming a paid member of his ground team. Darryl Edler said she was so successful at door-to-door campaigning that she was given a “golden clipboard” award.

She deployed that same enthusiasm when she ran for school board in 2010, unseating an incumbent with handmade yard signs. Even then, she was battling cancer. “She would take four days recovering from the chemo and then she would be in the street campaigning,” her husband said.

Her pastor, Bishop Quincy Carswell, was impressed with her energy, and rallied the support of his congregation and of other pastors. “She was a renegade,” he said. “We hadn't seen anything like her in DeKalb County. She had a great concern for people.”

A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Carswell’s The Covenant Church, 1700 Corey Blvd., Decatur.

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