caption death_date death_place years_active birth_date image article_title name occupation
mural in brooklyn , new york depicting carthan at the magnolia tree earth center 23 april 1984 brooklyn , new york 1964-1984 september 1900 file : hattie_carthan . jpg hattie carthan
 hattie carthan community activist
hattie carthan

hattie carthan -lrb- 1900 -- 1984 -rrb- was a community activist and environmentalist who was instrumental in improving the quality of life of the brooklyn , new york community of bedford-stuyvesant .
originally from portsmouth , virginia , carthan moved to the tree-lined block of vernon avenue between tompkins ave and throop ave in bedford-stuyvesant in 1953 , but by 1964 , only three trees remained .
she sent postcards to everyone on her block and formed the t & t vernon avenue block association , which raised funds to buy and plant trees by throwing block parties .
the city of new york supported her efforts : mayor john lindsay attended one of the block parties , and the city parks department provided trees under its treematching program .
eventually , carthan would head the bedford-stuyvesant beautification committtee .
she oversaw over 100 block associations which planted over 1,500 trees including those of the ginkgo , sycamore , and honeylocust varieties carthan spearheaded a campaign to save a 40-foot `` magnolia grandiflora '' tree that was thriving far north of its natural habitat , by getting it designated an official city living landmark .
she went on to found the magnolia tree earth center , an educational center .
carthan was survived by two sons , reginald hale of newark and malcolm hale of brooklyn ; two sisters , lottie roundtree of chesapeake , va. , and alice carper of brooklyn ; a brother , dwight lomax of brooklyn , and three grandchildren .
