The Friends of the Robert Crown Center and the City of Evanston will celebrate the decades of service and myriad achievements of Evanston’s Logan family by naming the new Robert Crown Community Center gymnasium in the family’s honor.
“It is next to impossible to find a family who has invested more time or worked harder to make Evanston a safer, better educated and more just community than the Logan Family. The Logan Family Gymnasium will host events, pre-K classes, and learning camps, as well as all kinds of recreational activities for the next 50 years and beyond. We hope that all who use it will be inspired by the Logan family’s commitment to peace, justice and unity,” said Evanston Parks and Recreation Board President and Friends of the Robert Crown Center Board member Denise Barreto.
Here are just some of the Logan family members and a partial list of the services they have dedicated to the City of Evanston:
William Logan spent 30 years with the Evanston Police Department and rose through the ranks as the first African American Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy-Chief and Chief of Police, receiving the department’s highest Commendation Award for Valor for outstanding performance above and beyond the call of duty by placing his life in jeopardy in his successful effort to free a hostage and disarm a felon. He was active in the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
He also co-founded the Chessmen Club of the Northshore, Fellowship of African-American Men (FAAM) and Consolidated Committee of Concerned Black Men. He has won close to a dozen awards from various Evanston community groups for his service and vision.
Marcia Logan served as Haven Middle School health clerk for 22 years and held employment at Saint Francis Hospital. Along with her husband, Bill, she co-owned B & J Grocery Store and Meat Market at Church Street and Dodge Avenue.
Marcia was co-founder and president of Les Fidelis (Faithful Friends) Social Club, served as a Cub Scout den mother, worked on the Community Hospital fundraising committee and helped lead the Evanston/Skokie District 65 PTA at her children’s schools.
Dr. Gilo Kwesi Logan, son of Bill and Marcia, leads Logan Consulting Services, a leadership and diversity consulting firm, having worked in Evanston with Evanston Dance Ensemble, Evanston Scholars, Learning Bridge Early Education Center, Evanston Symphony Orchestra, Rotary International, Rotary Clubs of Evanston, Evanston Police Department, Enrich Evanston, McGaw Y.M.C.A., Democratic Party of Evanston, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Y.O.U., Evanston Public Library, Connections for the Homeless among others. Dr. Logan is a former D65 and D202 teacher and McGaw YMCA Board Member, co-founder of Courageous Conversations series for parents and staff at Washington School, and currently a FAAM coach and City of Evanston Reparations Education Sub-Committee Member. He is founder and former executive director of SOUL Creations, which has performed in more than75 musical and theatrical productions for audiences at pre-schools, elementary, and middle schools throughout Evanston.
Billy Logan III, son of Bill and Marcia, worked with the City of Evanston Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, Northern Weathermakers, Boo Coo, Shand Morahan, and Northwestern University. While in high school, Billy was elected ETHS basketball and football captain and homecoming king and nominated as a McDonald’s All American in basketball.
Cheryl Logan, Bill and Marcia’s daughter, has been an Evanston/Skokie District 65 School social worker for more than 30 years. She has worked at Orrington, the former Timber Ridge/Bessie Rhodes, and is currently Willard School. She also collaborates with various Evanston agencies such as City of Evanston camps, Robert Crown, the Ted Fund, Family Focus, Fleetwood Jourdain Center, the Family Institute, Metropolitan Family Services, The Chessman, FAAM and the City of Evanston holiday toy drive.
James Bottoms, Marcia and Bill’s son-in-law, is a local professional jazz pianist who has played at various venues in Evanston, such as Fleetwood Jourdain Theatre, Family Focus, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and various private and corporate events.
Miah Logan, Marcia and Bill’s daughter-in-law, works as a program assistant at Mather Senior Living Facility in Evanston, and serves as operations director for Logan Consulting Services and performer with S.O.U.L. Creations. Miah also worked as a fitness instructor at Robert Crown and Fleetwood Jourdain community centers She has organized and performed at the City of Evanston Annual Kwanzaa Celebration, and volunteered as a Reading Fluency Tutor for Evanston/Skokie District 65 and a mentor at Evanston Scholars.