Beatrice "Bea" Gaddy (1933–2001) was a Baltimore city council member and a leading advocate for the poor and homeless. Known locally as the "
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...
of Baltimore," she was inducted into the
Maryland Women's Hall of Fame
The Maryland Women's Hall of Fame (MWHF) recognizes significant achievements and statewide contributions made by women who are Maryland-natives or state residents. It was established in 1985 by the Maryland Commission for Women and the Women Legisl ...
in 2006.
Early life and education
Beatrice Frankie Fowler was born in Wake Forest, North Carolina, in 1933. She grew up in poverty, in a violent home. By the age of 25, she had been divorced twice and was the mother of five children, occasionally living on welfare. She and her children moved to New York City, where she worked for several years as a housekeeper.
In 1964, the family moved to Baltimore. While working and raising a family, Gaddy enrolled in mental health courses at
Catonsville Community College
The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is a Public college, public community college in Baltimore County, Maryland, with three main campuses and three extension centers.
Academics
CCBC has more than 100 associate degree and certific ...
. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in
human services
Human services is an interdisciplinary field of study with the objective of meeting human needs through an applied knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall qua ...
from
Antioch University
Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its n ...
in 1977.
Career
Gaddy joined the staff of the East Baltimore Children's Fund in the early 1970s, offering the use of her home as a distribution center for food and clothing for the poor.
In 1981 she founded the
Patterson Park
Patterson Park is an urban park in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, United States, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and Butchers Hill. It is bordered by East Baltimore Street, Eastern Avenue, South Pat ...
Emergency Food Center, personally collecting food donations from local churches in a shopping cart and distributing them to needy neighbors. That same year, she won $250 in the
Maryland State Lottery
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) is an independent agency of the Maryland government. The MLGCA operates the Maryland Lottery and serves as regulator for Maryland's casino and sports wagering programs and a number of ancilla ...
and used it to serve about 40 of her neighbors a
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden a ...
dinner. Since then, the Bea Gaddy's Thanks for Giving Campaign has become an annual tradition in Baltimore, with hundreds of volunteers serving 3,000 meals on site and delivering 50,000 more to those who cannot travel.
Gaddy's food center also collected and distributed toys to children at Christmas, and hundreds of pairs of shoes each winter. In the 1990s she started a furniture bank and a program to renovate abandoned row houses for needy families. She became a minister so that she could perform marriages and burial ceremonies for the poor, free of charge. She was also involved in voter education and summer youth programs, and served as assistant chairperson in the Johns Hopkins Day Program. She was elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1999.
Awards and honors
Gaddy received many awards and honors for her service to the community, including the Unsung Hero Award (1972), Afro American Woman of the Year (1984), Baltimore's Best Award (1984), the
National Council of Negro Women
The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the f ...
Humanitarian Award (1988), Mayor's Citation (1988), and the Baltimore City Council Award (1987 and 1989).
In 1992, President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
named Gaddy one of his "Thousand Points of Light," and ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' named her Marylander of the Year.
She received an honorary
Doctorate of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society.
The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...
from
Towson State University
Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...
in 1993, and the
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
Award from the
University System of Maryland
The University System of Maryland (USM) is a public higher education system in the United States, U.S. state of Maryland. The system is composed of the eleven campuses at College Park, Maryland, College Park, Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimor ...
Board of Regents in 2000.
Death and legacy
Gaddy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. She died on October 3, 2001, aged 68.
Her work has been carried on by Bea Gaddy Family Centers, Inc. and by her daughter, Cynthia Brooks.
References
External links
Bea Gaddy Family Centers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddy, Beatrice
1933 births
2001 deaths
Activists from North Carolina
Baltimore City Council members
American social workers
African-American women in politics
American humanitarians
Women humanitarians
People from Wake Forest, North Carolina
African-American city council members in Maryland
Women city councillors in Maryland
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American women politicians
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American politicians