Martha Hardy, known to many at TU as Granny Cart Lady, died Wednesday

Written by Elyse Toplin and Max Coll

By Tulane Hullabaloo | Section: Dec 11th, 2009 Featured Articles, News

Martha Hardy, known to many on campus as Granny Cart Lady, passed away Wednesday at the age of 91 due to a recent illness. Though she was not enrolled at Tulane University, Hardy attended many classes over the years, including physical geology, great ideas in science and introduction to psychology. According to the Times-Picayune, she was born in Memphis, Tenn. March 12, 1918, and attended Louisiana State University of New Orleans (now the University of New Orleans) in 1966. She is survived by her son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. A more in-depth coverage of Hardy’s experience in the New Orleans community will be available in the next edition of the Hullabaloo.

2 comments
Leave a comment »

  1. Dean Moosavi December 12th, 2009 12:43 am

    I am saddened to hear of Granny Cart Lady’s passing. She was one of the most loyal of students in physical geology, twice in fact. Her enthusiasm for learning should be a reminder to all Tulane students that the opportunity and obligation to enrich ourselves are life long quests! My Martha Hardy rest in peace!

  2. Shawn Welnak December 12th, 2009 2:06 pm

    Let me share a couple anecdotes:

    I learned very quickly that when Martha attended my classes (three in total — though one of them twice) NOT TO ERASE WHAT I WROTE ON THE BOARD! This would get me in big trouble, since she needed to come up to the board after class and take a look at everything.

    I also can’t well express the excitement I could get out of her by presenting her with my own translations of and notes on Heraclitus and Aristotle. She was SO grateful it completely charmed me. She would show me and ask me about numerous books on the ancients, which I would give her my two-bits of thoughts on — to which she would be Oh So grateful again.

    She seemed to have spent her life Giving Speeches about Virtue with Friends — what I present as the ancient conception of the Highest Life for Man.