Cindy Madden of Minden will serve as the speaker for Mt. Lebanon’s 4th of July Flag Raising Ceremony. She is the daughter of Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Wilfred Merritt Richardson, and granddaughter of E. W. Merritt Sr. and family of Gibsland. Cindy’s husband, Jerry Madden, is immediate past president of Galvez Chapter Sons of the American Revolution in Shreveport.
Cindy earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Music, and has taught privately and publicly in the Minden area for over 54 years. After retiring from the Webster Parish School System in 2016, she immersed herself in genealogy. From 2022-2025, she served as Regent of Dorcheat-Bistineau Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution in Minden, and as Louisiana DAR State Chairman for the Service for Veterans Committee.
During her term as Regent, Dorcheat-Bistineau Chapter presented the first Armed Forces Day Celebration in Minden. Veterans and their families received free meals, and KIA/MIA/POW service men and women were honored. She designed a DAR Shower Shoe Campaign that raised 3.4k for veterans in the three Veterans Administration hospitals in Louisiana; she also connected veterans and their families with free mental health counseling through a grant approved by Boeing. Through the initial efforts and fundraising of Cindy and Jerry’s DAR and SAR chapters, approval was received from the Louisiana Legislature to place two signs on I-20 near the Goodwill Road to honor and remember Vietnam Veterans.
In 2023, Cindy was awarded Woman of the Year by the Young Women’s Service Club during the Greater Minden Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet. She currently serves on the board of the Council on Aging Webster Parish. Cindy and Jerry are the parents of Sgt. Josh Madden who was killed in Iraq on December 6, 2006, leaving a wife and three month old son.
The flag ceremony will take place at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 4th at the Stagecoach Trail Museum in Mt. Lebanon. Our local veterans will be recognized during the ceremony. Guests are asked to bring a folding chair for seating, and a covered dish breakfast item.