Third child and eldest dughter of Fred Gordon Hamilton, a small businessman, and Katie (Willis) Hamilton, a homemaker. She grew up in Winder, GA with nine siblings. She enrolled at the University of Alabama at the age of sixteen and after only one and half years had earned enough undergraduate credits to be one of twelve students, and the only female, to be accepted and enroll at the University of Alabama School of Medicine where she earned her medical degree. She did her residency at Crawford W. Long Hospital in Atlanta and after a brief career as a general family practitioner returned to the University of North Carolina for a master's degree in public health. She was the first female graduate of the University of Alabama Medical School and the first woman to hold the position of Public Health Commissioner in the State of Georgia. She served for thirty-four years as a Senior District Health Director for the Georgia Department of Human Resources' ten-county Coosa Health District. She developed programs to provide primary health care, mental health care, diabetes treatment programs, stroke and heart attack prevention programs, one of the State's few home health care services, and spearheaded the development of the region's first emergency medical services; providing direction and leadership to a staff of over 200 public health and 180 mental health employees.
Over the course of her career, she was recognized numerous times including being named Woman of the Year in Gainesville, GA in 1953; Woman of the Year in Cartersville, GA in 1969; Boss of the Year in Rome, GA in 1977; and received both the Appalachian Georgia Health Service Award and the Georgia Primary Health Care Provider Award in 1983. She was a master quilter who participated in the Etowah Valley Quilting Guild and actively volunteered to participate in quilting demonstrations at the Swan Coach House for the Atlanta Historical Society. She was a member of the Cartersville First Baptist Church for over six decades. She was predeceased by her first husband, William Curtis Maley; and son, John Hamilton Maley, both of whom died in the 1950's; and second husband, Henry Clayton "Kid" Shaw. She is survived by her son, Mark Hamilton Shaw (Treacy); granddaughter, Morgan Shaw DiOrio (Mike); two grandsons, Mark Hamilton Shaw, Jr., and Henry Clayton Shaw II; two great-granddaughters, her namesake Virginia Dare DiOrio and Catherine Coleman DiOrio; brother Paul L Hamilton; sister, Polly Evans; and sister-in-law, Mary Hamilton.
Over the course of her career, she was recognized numerous times including being named Woman of the Year in Gainesville, GA in 1953; Woman of the Year in Cartersville, GA in 1969; Boss of the Year in Rome, GA in 1977; and received both the Appalachian Georgia Health Service Award and the Georgia Primary Health Care Provider Award in 1983. She was a master quilter who participated in the Etowah Valley Quilting Guild and actively volunteered to participate in quilting demonstrations at the Swan Coach House for the Atlanta Historical Society. She was a member of the Cartersville First Baptist Church for over six decades. She was predeceased by her first husband, William Curtis Maley; and son, John Hamilton Maley, both of whom died in the 1950's; and second husband, Henry Clayton "Kid" Shaw. She is survived by her son, Mark Hamilton Shaw (Treacy); granddaughter, Morgan Shaw DiOrio (Mike); two grandsons, Mark Hamilton Shaw, Jr., and Henry Clayton Shaw II; two great-granddaughters, her namesake Virginia Dare DiOrio and Catherine Coleman DiOrio; brother Paul L Hamilton; sister, Polly Evans; and sister-in-law, Mary Hamilton.
Third child and eldest dughter of Fred Gordon Hamilton, a small businessman, and Katie (Willis) Hamilton, a homemaker. She grew up in Winder, GA with nine siblings. She enrolled at the University of Alabama at the age of sixteen and after only one and half years had earned enough undergraduate credits to be one of twelve students, and the only female, to be accepted and enroll at the University of Alabama School of Medicine where she earned her medical degree. She did her residency at Crawford W. Long Hospital in Atlanta and after a brief career as a general family practitioner returned to the University of North Carolina for a master's degree in public health. She was the first female graduate of the University of Alabama Medical School and the first woman to hold the position of Public Health Commissioner in the State of Georgia. She served for thirty-four years as a Senior District Health Director for the Georgia Department of Human Resources' ten-county Coosa Health District. She developed programs to provide primary health care, mental health care, diabetes treatment programs, stroke and heart attack prevention programs, one of the State's few home health care services, and spearheaded the development of the region's first emergency medical services; providing direction and leadership to a staff of over 200 public health and 180 mental health employees.
Over the course of her career, she was recognized numerous times including being named Woman of the Year in Gainesville, GA in 1953; Woman of the Year in Cartersville, GA in 1969; Boss of the Year in Rome, GA in 1977; and received both the Appalachian Georgia Health Service Award and the Georgia Primary Health Care Provider Award in 1983. She was a master quilter who participated in the Etowah Valley Quilting Guild and actively volunteered to participate in quilting demonstrations at the Swan Coach House for the Atlanta Historical Society. She was a member of the Cartersville First Baptist Church for over six decades. She was predeceased by her first husband, William Curtis Maley; and son, John Hamilton Maley, both of whom died in the 1950's; and second husband, Henry Clayton "Kid" Shaw. She is survived by her son, Mark Hamilton Shaw (Treacy); granddaughter, Morgan Shaw DiOrio (Mike); two grandsons, Mark Hamilton Shaw, Jr., and Henry Clayton Shaw II; two great-granddaughters, her namesake Virginia Dare DiOrio and Catherine Coleman DiOrio; brother Paul L Hamilton; sister, Polly Evans; and sister-in-law, Mary Hamilton.
Over the course of her career, she was recognized numerous times including being named Woman of the Year in Gainesville, GA in 1953; Woman of the Year in Cartersville, GA in 1969; Boss of the Year in Rome, GA in 1977; and received both the Appalachian Georgia Health Service Award and the Georgia Primary Health Care Provider Award in 1983. She was a master quilter who participated in the Etowah Valley Quilting Guild and actively volunteered to participate in quilting demonstrations at the Swan Coach House for the Atlanta Historical Society. She was a member of the Cartersville First Baptist Church for over six decades. She was predeceased by her first husband, William Curtis Maley; and son, John Hamilton Maley, both of whom died in the 1950's; and second husband, Henry Clayton "Kid" Shaw. She is survived by her son, Mark Hamilton Shaw (Treacy); granddaughter, Morgan Shaw DiOrio (Mike); two grandsons, Mark Hamilton Shaw, Jr., and Henry Clayton Shaw II; two great-granddaughters, her namesake Virginia Dare DiOrio and Catherine Coleman DiOrio; brother Paul L Hamilton; sister, Polly Evans; and sister-in-law, Mary Hamilton.
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