Carolyn Boddie Gibson

Carolyn passed away Friday, April 12, 2019, three days after her 88th birthday. Carolyn was born in Little

Rock, Arkansas, the youngest child of Richard L. and Dorothy Wiggins Boddie. She and her brother Richard were lovingly raised by their maternal grandparents, Lula and E.D. Wiggins, after the untimely death of her mother when Carolyn was one year old.

Carolyn attended the historic Dunbar High School, a model school for African-Americans in Arkansas before integration. Her love of knowledge continued when she entered and graduated from Arkansas AM&N College (now University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff). A smart, beautiful and popular coed, Carolyn was a majorette and homecoming queen. She was a charter member of the Delta Eta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Upon graduation, Carolyn remained in Pine Bluff and began her career at her alma mater in the Freshman

Studies Department, eventually becoming the director of counseling and testing. While in Pine Bluff, she

met, fell in love with and married Ernest Gibson, who was director of the student union at the college.

Carolyn and Ernie were blessed to have two beautiful daughters, Stephanie Yvonne and Dorothy Trefon.

Shortly after Brown v Board of Education (1954), Carolyn’s hometown was embroiled in the fight to integrate Little Rock Central High School. Carolyn’s first active involvement in civil rights was to provide support to the families of the Little Rock Nine through the formation of local, informal committees of friends.

In 1962, Carolyn, Ernie and their two children embarked on the next chapter in their lives, moving to

Birmingham, Alabama. There, together, they operated the A.G. Gaston Motel and Restaurant, which was a part of several “Green Book” locations across the South, and which provided black people visiting

Birmingham a first class lodging and dining experience.

What began as an opportunity for entrepreneurship and professional growth quite coincidentally quickly

resulted in their operating a place that was the epicenter of one of the most significant chapters in the U.S.

civil rights movement. The Gaston Motel was the headquarters and the residence of Dr. Martin Luther King and the SCLC in their efforts to desegregate public facilities in Birmingham. The motel hosted leaders and celebrities from all over the world who came there for strategy meetings, marches and other events.

Carolyn and Ernie’s business, as well as them personally, were the constant target of harassment and

arrest, culminating in the bombing of the motel on Mother’s Day 1963. Birmingham was not an easy time for Carolyn. She unfortunately suffered a miscarriage while there. Despite the challenges, Carolyn and Ernie were blessed with meeting and befriending Dr. King, which was an honor of their lifetime.

In 1964 Carolyn and Ernie accepted positions in the public schools in Joliet, Illinois. There she continued to teach and mold the lives of future generations. In fall of 1967, they were instrumental in bringing Dr. King to Joliet to speak.

In 1967 after Ernie accepted a position at College of DuPage, the family moved to Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and

Carolyn became the third black educator in the nearby Wheaton, Illinois schools, where she tirelessly and

lovingly educated elementary school students for the next 25 years. Carolyn was very active in the College of DuPage faculty wives organization. During this time, she furthered her own education and received a master’s degree in Reading.

Each year since the inception of the federal holiday marking the birthday of Dr. King, Carolyn planned her

school’s observance. Her efforts were featured in a Chicago Tribune article in 1990, “Mrs. Gibson, Tell Us

About Martin Luther King.” She also started, against some opposition, her school’s annual observance of

Black History Month.

Carolyn was involved in many activities aimed at the betterment of the quality of education, including vice-president of the Wheaton-Warrenville Education Association Diversity Committee; chairperson of the board of directors of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) Region 32; member of the IEA Executive Committee; member of the NEA National Education Committee; member of NEA Black Caucus; member of the NEA Resolutions Committee; and a frequent Illinois delegate to NEA national conventions.

At the time Carolyn and Ernie moved to DuPage County, it severely lacked diversity. There were not many organizations that served the social, cultural and political needs of black people. Realizing the need, Carolyn decided to find her Sorors in DuPage County, and eventually became a founding charter member and the first president of the Glen Ellyn Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. where she was a Golden Life member at the time of her death.

Carolyn was a charter member of the West Towns Chapter of Links, Inc. where she was a Platinum

member. She served for six years as president of the DuPage County branch of the NAACP. She was a

member of the board of directors of the DuPage County Girl Scouts. Carolyn and Ernie, along with others, were founders of the DuPage AME Church. She and Ernie headed the fundraising efforts in the western suburbs for the mayoral campaign of Harold Washington. They both were appointed by the governor to serve on the state committee to make the King birthday a federal observance.

In 1996, Carolyn and Ernie “retired” to Olympia Fields, Illinois. Her retirement was not a traditional

retirement, however. She never retired from her lifelong calling of service to her community. After moving,

she was appointed in 2001 to complete a term as Village of Olympia Fields clerk. She was elected a Trustee of Olympia Fields in 2003, and served as a Trustee for the next 16 years until her death. During her tenure, she was trustee liaison to the Public Safety Committee, the Community Relations Commission and the Police Pension Board. She was also a member of the Olympia Fields Enhancement Organization. Carolyn was thoughtful and deliberate, she offered wise counsel. She was a committed and forceful advocate - a phenomenal leader. Carolyn served on the board of Good Shepherd Center, which provides support, service and education for adults and children with and without disabilities. At her passing, Carolyn served as its vice-president.

Carolyn served as a national board member and president of the Chicago Chapter of the Dunbar/Horace

Mann National Alumni Association. She loved reading books and was blessed to gain new friendships and

have much fun during her membership in the “Meant To Be” Book Club where she actively participated for

16 years.

Carolyn was a loving, strong, Christian mother who set a high example of excellence for her girls. She was extremely proud of her daughters and many of you know she spent much time touting their successes. Carolyn was the soul mate and helpmate for her beloved husband Ernie. Known to everyone as ‘Carolyn and Ernie,’ together they were a formidable pair. For the past 35 years, Carolyn, Ernie, their children and grandchildren (the Big Ten) have taken a yearly family trip. These trips have taken them to the Bahamas, Mexico, Florida, Colorado and Nevada. For the past 14 years the family has met yearly on Martha’s Vineyard. Even though most grandkids are now adults and living their own lives, all gather there each year. These by far were some of Carolyn’s happiest times.

Carolyn’s family was always first in her life. Together Carolyn and Ernie, who survives her, raised two

daughters, Stephanie Gibson Branton (Wiley), and Dorothy Capers (Steve). She was blessed to have four

grandchildren: Carolyn Lucille Branton Smith (Courtney), Wiley Austin Branton III, Mariah Cathryn Matthews and Mackenzie Marie Capers. They were the lights of her life. Carolyn is also survived by her brother Richard E. Boddie, her nieces Wyndolyn Boddie Hughes (Roy) and Debbie Gibson, nephew Richard Lamont Boddie, and many other family, bonus children and friends.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

—- 2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV