Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972
Frances Brady was born on September 10, 1924 and lived all of her life in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. As a young girl Frances Brady, nicknamed "Fran", attended PS 39 and John Jay High School. Upon graduation from high school, she briefly attended New York City Community College, but decided to pursue an employment opportunity with the Red Cross. She spent twenty five years with the Red Cross working as a secretary and office manager until her retirement and continued to work part-time with Modern Way Lumber Company in Brooklyn until her death.
Fran was a very active member of her community, as well as an extraordinary leader. She became involved with the Care About the Slope (CATS) organization in the late 1980's and during the last eight years of her life served as the president. While her primary focus was CATS, her dedication to making her community a better place was evident through the support she gave to other community organizations. She was a fighter for her community and became active with such issues as public safety, traffic, bridge reconstruction and the revitalization of the Under-The-Tracks Playground.
Fran's dream was to establish a viable playground where children could have a safe haven to play in the neighborhood and she consistently organized community members to clean the park. Through her efforts the Transit Authority put netting under the tracks above the park to catch falling debris and safeguard the children. Her most important contribution to the park was obtaining capital funding for its rehabilitation in 1996. Tragically, Frances Brady died on March 12, 1996.
In view of her tireless work on behalf of the Park Slope community, it is fitting that the existing playground located at 10th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, known as the Under-The-Tracks Playground, be renamed "Fran Brady Under-The-Tracks Playground."