Lettie Gay Carson spent much of her adult life fighting for causes she believe in—causes that benefited the public. She didn't always win those fights, but she showed courage by taking risks and giving as much as she could.

Born in 1901, Carson grew up on an Illinois farm, and as a young woman moved to New York where she became director of the Home Institute of the New York Herald Tribune. In the 1950's, she was a force behind New York City's program to work with 'latch-key kids,' setting up all-day Neighborhood Schools.

Carson saw that many counties in suburban and rural New York had little or no library access. So in 1958 she helped create and manage the Mid-Hudson Library System, which today comprises more than 80 libraries across five counties.

In the 1960's and 1970's, she worked with the Harlem Valley Transportation Association, becoming its vice president and then president. Under its auspices, she advocated for two causes: One was as a proponent of railroads to combat the pollution from automobiles' internal combustion engines. And the other was as a force to keep railway passenger service to upstate New York. Carson recognized that losing the service would mean the loss of many union jobs and the proliferation of thousands of more automobiles on the road.

She rallied support from communities and from the Natural Resources Defense Council. She organized demonstrations and testified at public hearings. Eventually, she sued the Interstate Commerce Commission to keep Penn Central serving the area. The Court did rule in favor of Carson, but then Congress legislated Conrail into existence. Soon both passenger and freight service disappeared for hundreds of communities.

Later, Carson tried to save the railroad by developing a sludge-composting plan that involved transporting New York City's sludge upstate by rail to use on farmland. The plan had the support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Cornell University. Unfortunately, it ended with New York City Mayor Koch's veto.

Update: Lettie Gay Carson died in 1992.