
Edith Culler Osborne McKee was born on March 1, 1909 in Perry, GA to John Jennings Culler and Mary Winifred Covington. She was the middle child of her parents between brothers James and John Jr., though there were some half siblings as well who were not raised with them. Edith graduated from Perry High School in 1927 and studied at the Georgia-Alabama Business College in Macon, GA and later nursing at the Oglethorpe private infirmary in the Atlanta area. It was a prestigious program, and she was invited to be on the alumnae board after graduation. She met Dr. Joseph Evans Osborne while they both were interns in the medical field at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA.

Edith began working as the Superintendent of Lake Shore Hospital in Lake City, FL in 1934 and married Dr. Joseph Evans Osborne in August 1935. He got a job as a doctor at the newly opened Calvert Prison Camp once located off the old Rosman Highway, which brought the couple to Rosman, NC. He was a dentist and a family doctor in the community as well. He later got hired as the Chief of Staff at Transylvania Community Hospital in 1954.
When it came to Edith and her time in Transylvania County, she was a go-getter who was very involved in the community from the start. By 1940 she was the president of the PTA in Rosman and was on a county advisory board for the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

She was also honored as a Worthy Matron, the highest rank for the Brevard chapter of the Eastern Star, the sister organization of the Freemasons. She often displayed her musical talents for their activities and played the piano, organ, and even accordion.
She had a special love for Springer spaniels and even bred and sold puppies at one point. Perhaps this love of dogs led her to start the first rabies vaccination clinic in the county in 1940. Her background in health and nursing was surely part of it.
Her husband Joe enlisted in military service for the U.S. Navy in 1941 and was sent to Panama as a medical professional. He became lieutenant commander and was discharged in 1946.
Perhaps anticipating the end of Joe’s military service, Edith and Joe bought property on Main Street of Rosman in 1945. It was a charming brick house with distinctive patterns of brick that incorporated yellow brick accents. Edith took great pride in gardening and beautifying the home, first mentioned in the paper in 1948. A collection of slides that were donated to the NC Room include the brick home in the background.

While Joe was in service, Edith stayed and was involved in activities such as being a Sunday School teacher. She also started the Rosman Garden Club, which was indeed a gardening club, but also acted as a social organization for Rosman with initiatives spearheaded by Edith including the first blood drive in Rosman and the Rosman Square Dance Club.
Edith and Joe were members of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (Airstream Club International) who enjoyed annual meetups across the country. They had an airstream travel trailer with a list of all their destinations painted on it. They did everything together, which included flying small planes, hunting, fishing, and photography. The large collection of slides in the NC Room collection were Joe’s and include pictures from some of their travels, family get-togethers, Christmas parades, and more. Both husband and wife were licensed pilots, avid fishers, and lovers of the outdoors.
Edith was always driven and kept up her involvement in the community over the years. She was a Democratic executive committee member, on the committee for the Rosman Highway to gain Blue Star Memorial marker recognition in 1955, helped to start the first Salvation Army branch through the United Fund/United Way, and became the secretary for the newly formed Rosman Chamber of Commerce in 1956 and served for several terms.
In 1966 Edith’s husband Joe passed away from a heart attack. She was only in her mid-50s at this time and went on to live many more years. Without ever running for the office, Edith became the mayor of Rosman in July 1967 when Allen Sisk, the recently re-elected mayor of Rosman, unexpectedly passed away. The board of aldermen appointed Edith Osborne the first, and so far the only, woman to be the mayor of the Town of Rosman.
While in office Edith Osborne was very active. She taught a home nursing course through the Social Service Council, negotiated with the DOT to have fill dirt moved to a swampy lot that is now a football practice field, had a youth activities building built, had a sidewalk installed in front of the school so children could walk safely, served on the Girl Scout committee, and served on the District Congressional Executive Committee.
She was a well-liked mayor who was re-elected in general elections. Although friends encouraged her to run again, she declined to run in 1973 stating that she wanted to travel more. No one else opposed or ran against her, and so a write-in candidate, Rev. Joe Pressley, became the next mayor for a couple of years. At this time, Edith sold her house to William Cathey Jr. and wife Juanell. Interestingly, he became the mayor of Rosman a few years later. One might even think of the home as “The Mayor’s House.” The Catheys were the homeowners until 2021.
Edith must have stayed in the area for a short time after selling her house, because she was on the Hospital Auxiliary in 1974. Research becomes difficult at this point in her life. If any surviving friends or family have information, the NC Room is interested in learning about it.
It can be determined that sometime after 1978 Edith married airline pilot Robert McKee. It was a second marriage for them both, and though he had daughters from his deceased wife Nellie, they were adults at the time of Edith and Robert’s marriage, so it wasn’t a blended family. Despite her obvious love of children, Edith never had any children of her own.
Robert and Edith lived in the suburbs of Atlanta in Riverdale, GA. He passed away in 1989, after which she seems to have moved to Camden, SC. Edith Culler Osborne McKee passed away on March 2, 2004. She was a vibrant and active community member who had a positive impact that endures today.
Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Sperry. Sources available upon request.