Chicago has lost one of it’s best volunteers for social justice and human equality, Mrs. Barbara Cox. Mrs. Cox made her transition on Friday, March 2.
She was known across Chicago for her warm spirit toward making others have a better, fairer turn in social and civic circles.
She worked closely with Operation Breadbasket, and later Operation PUSH, for over 30 years, never missing a Saturday morning broadcast. Anyone who was anybody knew Cox was the person to see if they needed to know what to do, where to go and what was going on, in civic circles across Chicago and the nation.
Sought out by hundreds for her knack for fund raising, she also volunteered tirelessly with the Ora Higgins Foundation and Scholarship Committee. As an avid fundraiser for youth causes and Christian Education, she worked closely with Mrs. Higgins and the family for decades.
Barbara Cox was a true Chicagoan who was known as an historian, who knew anybody and everybody’s history. All you had to do was give her a name, and like a modern day encyclopedia she would tell you all the history on that person or subject.
One of her dearest charities she worked on since its inception was the Bill Garth Scholarship Fund. Working closely with the late publisher Garth, she committed all her efforts to insuring that hundreds of young adults could go to colleges of their choice.
Cox was a devoted and hard-working member of the St. Stephen’s African Methodist Episcopal Church from childhood. Raised on the city’s West Side, she attended Crane High School.
Married to George Cox for over 30 years, who preceded her in death, she is survived by her only niece, Candance Watkins and a host of cousins and dear friends.
Funeral services were held Monday, March 19th at St. Stephens, 2000 West Washington Boulevard.
