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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF MADELYN DUCRÉ
WHEREAS, Madelyn Brenda Ducré, affectionately known as “M.D.”, a longtime police and local government watchdog in Evanston, died on August 2, 2020. She was seventy-seven; and
WHEREAS, Madelyn was born in 1943, in Bonfouca, Louisiana. She was the fourth of seven children and eldest daughter of the late Joseph Leroy Ducré and Mary Pearl Morgan Ducré. She grew up on family-owned land in Slidell, Louisiana and attended St. Tammany Parish public schools. She was a bold and curious child, traits that carried through to adulthood; and
WHEREAS, Madelyn moved to Evanston when she was 18 years old for a modeling job. She married Donald Gibbs, Sr. and had six children. She lived in Evanston for the rest of her life. Ducré also adopted her 2-year old grandson after her oldest son died in 2005; and
WHEREAS, in 1999, Ducré earned a double bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology from Northeastern University. She went on to volunteer in the Cook County juvenile justice system and served as a court monitor, especially for hearings involving Evanston kids; and
WHEREAS, Ducré got involved in police oversight and social justice after watching her sons and grandsons treated poorly by law enforcement, said cousin Albert Gibbs. For her, family was always a driving force; and
WHEREAS, Ducré was a co-founder of Community Police Action Committee, which evolved into the Citizens Network of Protection. CNP helps residents with legal issues, provides educational programs, and promotes police accountability, transparency and oversight, among other services. CNP co-founder Betty Ester remembered working with Ducré and how her sense of humor poked through their serious work. An effective networker, Ducré would try to determine who she knew that might be able to help on different issues; and
WHEREAS, Madelyn’s daughter LaTonya Gibbs remembered her mother as “very direct, but not in a mean way.” Her daughter Mitzi Gibbs agrees. “She was tough. But she was always fair and honest.” Mitzi fondly remembers being taken on buses at a young age to go to protests. “My mother explained to us that we should be here and stand up for what’s right. ‘We Shall Overcome’ was a theme in our house growing up.” She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. “You have to stand up for yourself and it’s not always about a sledgehammer,” Mitzi Gibbs said. “Sometimes it’s about speaking up and speaking up again and coming back the next day and the next day and the next year;” and
WHEREAS, Madelyn is survived by six children, Tony (Donna), Tyrone, Blair, Tonya, Mitzi, and Donald Jehu Gibbs, III; nineteen grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; two sisters; and three brothers. She is preceded in death by her eldest son, Donald Jeffrey Gibbs, Jr.; her second husband, Ronald Dotson; her parents; two brothers, Butsie and James Ducré; three sisters-in-law, Betty Gibbs. Clara Ducré, and Amal Ducré; three brothers-in-law, Thomas, Joe and Lovie Gibbs; and her beloved mothers and fathers-in-law, Thomas and Minnie Gibbs and the Dotsons.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, on behalf of the 5.2 million residents of Cook County, honors the life and contributions of Madelyn Ducré, and herewith expresses its sincere gratitude for the invaluable contributions she has made to the Citizens of Cook County, Illinois; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of the same be tendered to the family of Madelyn Ducré.
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