Vern Edward McCarty

Vern was born on February 18, 1944, to Hugh and Lessie McCarty of Laurel, Miss. After he graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., and Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J., he spent two years in the Philippines training theology students for urban mission work. In the process, he cultivated a lifelong passion for urban community development.

He moved to Atlanta in 1972 to work for Urban Training Organization of Atlanta, a nonprofit whose goal was to revive the city’s intown neighborhoods and prevent the demolition of their historic housing stock. As a community developer, Vern worked to create neighborhood civic associations that brought residents together to solve problems. He lived in Grant Park and was instrumental in founding the Association to Revive Grant Park, now the Grant Park Neighborhood Association.

Vern’s interest in historic preservation led to a career rehabilitating historic properties. His major intown Atlanta projects included NuGrape Lofts, Crown Candy Lofts, and The Massellton, a garden apartment complex. He also developed the Broadway Lofts in downtown Macon.

Special community restoration targets included Grant Park, the city’s oldest park, and Oakland Cemetery, which predates the Civil War. Both had fallen into neglect, and he was involved in their significant rehabilitation during his years as a neighborhood advocate and member of the Atlanta City Council from 1994 to 2002.

Vern is survived by his wife, Caroline “Betsy” Lerner; brother, Davis McCarty; nephews, Rick McCarty, Patrick McCarty and Joseph Sisk, and niece, Nina Cantrell. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Nina Victoria Sisk and an infant sister, Evelyn Gay McCarty.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Grant Park Conservancy, Central Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, or Rhodes College.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 on 10/14/23 in Central Presbyterian Church’s Rand Chapel, 201 Washington Street SW in Atlanta, Georgia.