For someone who was almost entirely blind, those close to Wanda Mcclamb say she had an impressive ability to see — whether it was seeing the meanings in her UNC textbooks without being able to read, or seeing a friend in every person she met.
Wanda Mcclamb, who was a junior studying sociology at UNC, died of complications from a kidney transplant on Aug. 4. She was 44.
Wanda Mcclamb’s daughter, Octavia Mcclamb, said her mother was studying to be a social worker.
“She wanted to help other blind people,” she said. “She wanted to help disabled people.”
Octavia Mcclamb said her mother, who was originally from Kenansville, studied at Wake Technical Community College for three or four years before transferring to UNC in 2012. Paying for school with multiple scholarships and grants, she had expected to graduate in 2014 or 2015.
Wanda Mcclamb was recently elected to the advisory board of the Visually Impaired Program (VIP) in Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, said Betsy Cuthrell, who worked with her.
VIP organizes recreational activities for adults with visual impairments.
Cuthrell said Wanda Mcclamb created a close rapport with the other participants when she joined the program in 2012.
“She would talk to anybody,” Cuthrell said. “She didn’t know a stranger.”
Allen Davidson, Wanda Mcclamb’s husband, said she was proud of being a student at UNC.