D. Jack Alkire
NORMAL— Recognized for empowering women, fighting to eliminate racism, celebrating Black History and helping heal grieving families, Frances Maddox was named one of Bloomington-Normal's ExtraOrdinary Women.
Lifelong friends, family members and previous awardees gathered to support Maddox as she was named 2024's third quarter honoree in a Tuesday event inside the Wesley Becker Conference Room at the Center for Health on Fort Jesse in Normal.
"Honestly, I've never recognized myself, personally, as an extraordinary woman," Maddox, a Bloomington native, told the crowd of several dozen.
"I'm a soft-spoken person, a little introverted as well, and I keep my circles fairly small. But I do work hard," she said. "And I do want to make a difference in this world, even if it's something small."
Maddox has two daughters, Victoria and Ambria, with her husband Jerome, and is the stepmother to Jerome III, Tylan and Anthony, all adults.
People are also reading…
She has worked for State Farm for over four decades and has served as a board member on both the YWCA McLean County and the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project, two areas where her mother was also passionately involved.
"I call her my 'shero'," Maddox said of her mother during an interview the Saturday before the event.
Growing up, Maddox said she did not learn Black history in school. It was through her mother and her church, Wayman African Methodist, that she learned that part of her life.
During Black History Month, her mother "was always (going) through the Ebony (magazine), cutting out articles and pictures," Maddox said.
Maddox keeps a lot of that work in her home now, she said.
But, above her other efforts, Maddox was honored Tuesday for her work with America's Gold Star Families, a nonprofit that helps families of American servicemembers who have died on active duty.
"The key mission of the organization is to provide hope and healing for our Gold Star families and provide honor for our fallen heroes," Maddox said.
Her involvement Gold Star Families was not a voluntary one, though, as she and her family are counted among their ranks.
Maddox's stepson, Sgt. Anthony Maddox of the U.S. Army, died July 22, 2013, from a petroleum explosion in Afghanistan. He was 22.
For 10 years now, Maddox has worked to display Christmas trees in three locations— Peoria, Springfield and Bloomington — bearing handmade ornaments in memory of servicemembers who have died in the line of duty, she said.
The ornaments feature a portrait of the servicemember, their name, nicknames and details about their service.
"It was my way, almost, like, a ministry to help others," Maddox said. "Because this is a group — it's an organization nobody wants to be part of, and we don't want them to be part of it, either."
Co-founder of the Bloomington-Normal ExtraOrdinary Women Project Feli Sebastian said that grief has an all-too common way of derailing people.
"Usually, my experience in counseling, I would see people just really go under," she said, "or families really fall apart, but she (Maddox) was able to pull them all together and be a glue for everyone."
Sebastian and Maddox served on the YWCA board together, and Sebastian knows first-hand Maddox's work ethic, she said.
"She sees something needs to be done, and she rolls her sleeve (up) and, just, does it," Sebastian said.
But honoring fallen servicemembers, loved ones, is a difficult task, Maddox said, one for which she was unprepared.
So when the first call came 10 years ago for ornaments, like the one for Anthony, Maddox said she enlisted some help from her then-13-year-old daughter Ambria.
"I had asked her to create Anthony's ornament, and she did an amazing job. It was absolutely beautiful," Frances Maddox said.
Since then, the whole family has worked together to support their fellow Gold Star Families, creating a legacy that Ambria Maddox hopes to honor someday she said.
Tuesday's award is "something I have to look up to," the now-23-year-old said. "And like she said, my grandma, she looked up to her, and she had so many awards, too. So I feel like I'm a living legacy, almost, and I have to live up to this."
Photos: Bloomington Bison get ready for season at Grossinger Motors Arena
Contact D. Jack Alkire at (309)820-3275.
Twitter: @d_jack_alkire
0 Comments
'); var s = document.createElement('script'); s.setAttribute('src', 'https://assets.revcontent.com/master/delivery.js'); document.body.appendChild(s); window.removeEventListener('scroll', throttledRevContent); __tnt.log('Load Rev Content'); } } }, 100); window.addEventListener('scroll', throttledRevContent); }
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
D. Jack Alkire
General Assignment Reporter
- Author twitter
- Author email
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don't have an account? Sign Up Today