Carey B. Maddox-Preston

Carey Belle Maddox-Preston (April 28, 1915 – December 1, 2000) was an American social worker. From 1949 to 1974, she was the first executive director of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She was also president of the board of directors of the Chicago Urban League, from 1970 to 1973, and an appointed member of the Chicago Board of Education from 1968 to 1980.

Carey B. Maddox-Preston
A smiling Black woman, from a 1965 newspaper photograph
Carey B. Maddox-Preston, from a 1965 Chicago Tribune story
Born
Carey Belle Maddox

April 28, 1915
Columbia, Mississippi
DiedDecember 1, 2000
Burbank, Illinois
Occupation(s)Executive director, Alpha Kappa Alpha

Early life and education

Maddox was born in Columbia, Mississippi, the daughter of Richard M. Maddox and Mattie Hendricks Maddox. Both of her parents were also born in Mississippi; her father was a fireman on the railroad. She graduated from Tougaloo College and earned a master's degree in social work from Atlanta School of Social Work. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.[1][2]

Career

Maddox-Preston worked at the National Training School in Washington, D.C. as a young woman. She was executive director of Alpha Kappa Alpha from 1949 to 1974.[3][4] She led the organization's purchase of its national headquarters in Chicago, known as the "Ivy Center", and then oversaw the headquarters' expansion. She was also president of the board of directors of the Chicago Urban League from 1970 to 1973.[5] She was nominated for an appointment on the Chicago Board of Education in 1965,[6][7] and served on the school board from 1968 to 1980.[1][8][9] During her time on the school board, her simultaneous leadership role in the Urban League was questioned as a possible conflict of interest.[10] She supported a controversial plan to desegregate the schools by reassigning teachers and principals. "I"m willing to go through the upheaval because I think in the long run the greater lesson is one not taught in the textbook," she said. "That lesson is that all people have to live and work together."[2]

Personal life

Carey Maddox married John W. Preston; he died in 1971. Maddox-Preston died in 2000, at the age of 85, at a nursing home in Burbank, Illinois.[1][2] A resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives paid tribute to Maddox-Preston soon after she died.[3]

References
  1. "Carey Preston, Former Exec. Director of AKA Sorority, Dies at 85" Jet (December 25, 2000 - January 1, 2001): 51.
  2. Vogell, Heather (2000-12-08). "Carey Preston, 85, member of troubled '70s school board". Chicago Tribune. p. 43. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "HR0988 91st General Assembly". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  4. "AKA's Make Plans for 1954 Meeting". Jackson Advocate. 1954-06-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Seals, Connie (1970-04-11). "Human Relations Beat". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "10 Finalists Selected for School Board; Six Nominees to be Named Today". Chicago Tribune. 1965-04-21. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "6 Nominated for Board". Chicago Tribune. 1965-04-09. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Krug, Mark M. (1974-03-14). "The Krug Report: Chicago School Board and Superintendent". Chicago Tribune. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Board Member Visits Gage Park High". Southend Reporter. 1976-11-04. p. 42. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Masson, Ken (1972-10-04). "Lawlor calls for ouster of 2 board members; cites 'lack of interest'". Suburbanite Economist. pp. 71, 76. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
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