Freddie Mae Leverston's Biography
Freddie Mae Leverston was born in Montgomery, Alabama on October 22, 1926, and she relocated to Chicago as a teenager. Freddie Mae was born at a time when she did not have the same educational opportunities available to her as we do today. Fortunately, this did not prevent her from valuing and stressing the importance of a high-quality education. While living in C
hicago, Illinois Freddie Mae met and later married Andrew Thomas, and together they raised nine children and one grandchild. While growing up, my grandmother took care of our home and nurtured the family while my grandfather financially supported us. As a homemaker, she was an exceptional cook; and it was always an experience to dine with family and friends in our home. She loved planting and canning fruits and vegetables from her garden, and she loved preparing healthy dishes from her garden for her family and friends. Freddie Mae loved taking care of her family and being available for her friends. She had a gift of making you feel you were the most important person in her life when she was with you. She knew how to love you right where you were genuinely, unconditionally, and without judgment. She instilled in our family the importance of having pride and accepting responsibility for all of your actions. She encouraged our family to believe, no matter the obstacles, "everything will be all right". Freddie Mae exemplified throughout her life integrity - integrity is honesty, strong principals, good character, and trustworthiness. Integrity can be achieved when one endeavors to better oneself and the lives of others. Freddie Mae was a woman of integrity and beauty; she was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. It is with pride we honor the Life, the Integrity, and the Beauty of Freddie Mae Leverston.
“I believe my grandmother was very special. I believe her capacity to love greatly influenced me and somehow the best of her found its way beyond her, beyond the bounds of her own life. I feel that whatever is good in me and within the organization is that energy that she was. As I attempt to imagine my grandmother’s thoughts regarding the organization. I believe she is proud. I believe she would want us to focus on the work we are accomplishing for young people”. Reed, M. A., M.P.M. President and CEO
