Carey Preston, Former Exec. Director Of AKA Sorority, Dies At 85

Jet, Dec 25, 2000

Carey B. Maddox Preston, who once served as vice president of the Chicago Board of Education and as executive director of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Inc., recently died in Chicago. She was 85.

Preston's distinguished career was marked by more than 50 years in public affairs in the Windy City.

A longtime member of the Chicago Urban League, Preston served as its president of the Board of Directors from 1970 to 1973.

Later Preston served as a member of District 158 Junior College Board, followed by an appointment to the Chicago Board of Education. She served with the Board of Education--including a term as vice president--for seven years.

As a member of the AKA sorority, Preston became the organization's first executive director, a position she held for more than 25 years. Prior to that position, she was appointed, in 1948, as an administrative secretary for the sorority.

Her marriage to John W. Preston ended with his death in 1971.

There are no immediate survivors.