For This Designer It Was "Mint" to Be
DANVILLE - An artist with Danville ties now proudly works as one of seven master designers in the Artistic Infusion Program of the U.S. Mint.
“When my husband and I were living in Oklahoma City, I saw a newspaper headline that read ‘U.S. Mint Calls for Artists,’” Susan Gamble recalled. “The headline caught my attention, and I decided to apply, never thinking that I could possibly be one of the artists that they chose.”
Gamble, who now lives in Arlington, has been a master designer since 2004 - one of the first - and, as such, can take the credit for the design of four coins: the 2007 First Spouse Martha Washington reverse; the 2007 Washington Quarter reverse; the 2007 Jamestown Commemorative silver reverse; and the 2007 Jamestown Commemorative gold reverse. Five more have been chosen for minting in 2008, including the Oklahoma and Alaska quarters.
Gamble, one of identical twin daughters of the late William and Inez (Mickey) Garbee, was the 1975 valedictorian of George Washington High School. After art lessons throughout school, she knew she wanted to be an artist and attended Virginia Commonwealth University to earn an art degree.
After marrying her next-door neighbor, Gamble was traveling the country as an Air Force wife when she saw the ad in the paper.