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Number 3
RTD'sMaster
Computer
LACTCLeaders
DayRetires
TopOperators
HeroStops
Bus
Operator Recognition
Volume 17 March 1989
9rABLE0FCONTENTS
Master Computer Controls Metro Rail
Reed Takes LACTC Chair
LACTC Gets New Head
Annual Report Issued for FY 1987-88
Director Day Retires From RTD Board
Top Operators
Moving the Post Office
Vaughn Named Operator of the Month
Blood Donor Honor Roll
Vasquez Chosen Info Operator of the Year
"Fresh Savings" Kick Off at Galleria
Commendations
Public Commendations
Employee Rider Brings Bus to Stop
Shifting Gears
Schedule Changes
About the Cover
Top Operators for 1987/88
Just the Break He Needed
Art Types His Last Schedule
Looks Like a Good Investment
To Your Health
Marriage Counseling
Self-Help Groups: Grapevines in Action
Tommy the Shoeshine Man
Tribute to Our Bus Drivers
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 2
RTD Ridership, RevenuesHigher Than Forecast
RTD is in a highly stable and sound financial condition inmid-year of its fiscal operation, announced General ManagerMan Pegg in mid-Febuary.
This is the result of RTD ridership and passengerrevenues having been higher than anticipated during thefirst half of fiscal year 1989. With these trends continuingthrough June 30, RTD will Finish FY 1989 with a balancedbudget, Pegg said.
"System-wide patronage was up almost 12 million ridersto 201 million during the first half of FY 1989, compared to aprojected 189 million passengers," he said.
As a result, RTD passenger revenues increased $8.1million to $113 million, as compared to the forecast of $104million in the same period, he added.
Pegg noted other highlights regarding patronage andrevenues since the new fare structure started an July 1,1988. "While there was a slight decline in overall boardingof 3.9 percent, or 8.2 million passengers, there was at thesame time a net increase in passenger revenue of 24.8percent, or $22.5 million," he said.
In recent years, the third quarter of the fiscal year hasbeen a period when the RTD faced possible fare increasesand service reductions to balance its budget by year end.This year RTD riders can Look forward to the same level ofservice and fares through June 30, Pegg said.
Marathon RunnersStrut Your StuffEvery year for the last four years that the Los AngelesMarathon has rerouted all our inner-city lines, the Districthas had a fair number of employees running in the race.Last year we ran the names and times of all those employeeswho cared to share that information with us. If you ran the1989 marathon, please call the Headway and let us know.We would love to hear from you and brag about you in ournext issue. Call 972-7165 to reserve your deserved space inthe Headway.
MASTER
COMPUTER ToCONTROL
METRO RAILby Greg Davy,
News Bureau Representative
When Metro Rail trainsstart running in 1993, a realpro will be in the controlroom. The SupervisoryControl and Data Acquisi-tion System (SCADA), thecomputing software for thesubway, is a proven veteranin the transportationbusiness.
The SCADA program isthe latest version of a well-tested system which iscurrently running subwaysin Paris, Caracas, Montreal,and Mexico City. It is beingbrought to Los Angeles bySondetag-TAI, a Frenchsubsidiary of the interna-tional corporation Thomson-CSF through their localsubsidiary, AXYAL. Thisteam was put together byBechtel Civil Inc. of SanFrancisco, the primesupplier of communicationssystems for Metro Rail.
The system's "omnis-cient" brain, consisting of apair of identical GouldModel 32-67 computers, isone of the major componentsof a $35 million communica-tions and central control
package, which includes allof the software and hard-ware necessary to monitorand operate the trains andperipheral systems.
SCADA will usethousands of sensorsthroughout Metro Rail's first4.4 miles of tunnels and fivestations to monitor condi-tions. It will then displaythe information for humansto use to make decisions. Allcomponents of Metro Rail,from huge ventilation fansand Sprinkler systems to theamplifiers in stationloudspeakers, will be underits constant scrutiny.
The informationgathered from the array ofsensors will be displayed onTV screens where operatorscan make minute-to-minuteadjustments in systemoperations.
As an example, brakingand acceleration rates fortrains approaching andleaving stations can bereduced during off-peakhours. That saves energyand, therefore, money.
The length of time that
doors are held open at eachstation can be adjusted toimprove efficiency. Trainspeed and the distancemaintained between trainscan be altered.
But SCADA will not bethe ultimate authority onthe trains. A second hard-ware system, the AutomaticTrain Control System, willmonitor the position andspeed of trains at all times.If an operator using SCADAshould attempt to make anoperating change that iscontrary to safety parame-ters, this automatic systemwill not allow the change tobe made.
SCADA will stay on thejob even during emergen-cies. For example, if thereshould be systemwide loss of
electrical power, the MetroRail communication systemhas eight hours of batterybackup. The automatic traincontrol system and lightingin stations and tunnels arebacked up for two hours,sufficient time to movetrains to exits and evacuate.
Because SCADA hasbeen improved during yearsof operation in other cities,the Los Angeles version ofthe system will have morecomprehensive safetyfeatures than any of itspredecessors.
When Phase 2 construc-tion begins, the SCADAsystem will be expanded tocover all 16 passengerstations along 17.3 miles oftrack.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 3
LACTC Gets New Head
Neil Peterson, 44, mostrecently the interim generalmanager of the AC TransitDistrict in Oakland, wasnamed as executive directorof the Los Angeles CountyTransportation Commission(LACTC) on January 25.
In announcing theappointment, LACTCChairperson Christine E.Reed said, "Mr. Petersonbrings over 20 years ofexperience in building andmanaging organizations,particularly those which arepeople intensive and serviceoriented. We have found theright person to lead theCommission in the yearsahead."
Peterson ran the SeattleMETRO system from 1977to 1983. METRO is theregional agency responsiblefor planning and operatingtransportation and waste-water services in the Seattlearea. In 1983, the systemwas recognized by theAmerican Public TransitAssociation as the nation'sbest-managed transitdistrict. Seattle has anextensive bus fleet includingthe largest fleet of articu-lated buses in the UnitedStates and operates a trolleysystem which includesmonorail and street cars.
In a press conferencefollowing his appointment,the new executive directorlisted various reasons heaccepted the multi-yearcontract with the LACTC.Among those cited were thetransportation challengesposed by Los Angeles.Another influence wasproposed state legislation
that could merge theLACTC and the RTD. Healso commented that hehopes to continue the "de-escalation" of the rivalrybetween the two agencies.
Peterson said he wouldallocate local tax money tothe RTD and severalsmaller public bus systemsin ways to encouragecompetition within thepublic sector. He sees this asa means to catalyze the"balkanized" Los Angelestransportation system intobetter serving the public.
Peterson is a formervice president and memberof the Executive Committeeof the American PublicTransit Association. He is agraduate of WilliamsCollege, and holds a mastersdegree in public andinternational affairs fromthe Woodrow Wilson Schoolof Public and InternationalAffairs at Princeton Univer-sity. Peterson has served ascity manager for NewBrunswick, New Jersey, anda division director for thestate of Washington'sDepartment of Social andHealth Services. Followinghis success at Seattle'sMETRO, Peterson headedhis own company, Ex-ecutemps, which providedinterim managementservices to private compa-nies and governmentagencies. While the interimmanager of the AC TransitDistrict in Oakland, he iscredited with improvingperformance and reversing aprojected $7 million deficitinto a surplus. Prior to histenure, Oakland's poor
performance and financialmismanagement led to agrand jury investigation.
His five-year contractwith the LACTC includes abase salary of $125,000 peryear and, among otherbenefits, a housing allow-ance to help relocate hisfamily from Seattle to LosAngeles.
Annual ReportIssued forFY 1987-88The District published inJanuary the annual reportcovering its operational andfinancial highlights for fiscalyear 1987-88.
The 16-page, two-colorbooklet reports on keyevents in the progress ofMetro Rail construction andbus operations, plus finan-cial statements and over-views of the past fiscal year.
"This annual reportreflects a year of transitionat RTD," said GeneralManager Alan Pegg. "Manypositive changes occurredduring FY 1988 and thisbooklet highlights them."
The attractivelypackaged report wasprepared by the Marketingand CommunicationsDepartment and distributedto employees, local govern-ment and communityleaders, public transitagencies, and libraries. Ifyou have not received yourcopy, contact the MarketingDepartment at (213) 972-4400.
ReedTakesChair ofLACTCLos Angeles County Super-visor Pete Schabarum,outgoing chairman of theLos Angeles County Trans-portation Commission(LACTC), passed the gavelJanuary 11 to Santa MonicaCity CouncilwomanChristine Reed.
Supervisor Ed Edelmanwas elected unanimously asthe LACTC vice chairmanfor 1989. In taking over aschairwoman, Reed pledged
...Reed pledged to
implement the
eight-point plan
worked out between
the LACTC and
the District...
to implement the eight-pointplan worked out betweenthe LACTC and the Districtto streamline county transitservices.
She also vowed toensure the full implementa-tion of the newly developedSan Gabriel Valley TransitZone, which is designed totake over 19 RTD lines.Other changes in this year'sLACTC membership includethe addition of Los AngelesCity Councilman NateHolden, who will replace
Councilman Mike Woo.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 4
0TOPPERATORS
December 1988
Director Day Retires from RTD BoardRTD Board Director John F.Day announced that he willretire from his position onthe RTD Board by virtue ofthe fact that he will not seekre-election in April to theGlendale City Council. Mr.Day's seat on the councilallowed him to represent theCorridor C subcommittee ofthe City Selection Commit-tee on the RTD Board.
Mr. Day was firstelected to the Board in 1983representing the District'snorthern service area whichincludes the cities ofGlendale, Burbank, SanFernando, Hidden Hills, LaCanada-Flintridge, Agoura,and Westlake Village.
During his tenure onthe Board, Mr. Day hascommitted much of his timeand efforts toward upgrad-ing the District's accessibleservice. Through hisstewardship, accessibletransportation.has become apriority item among theDistrict's goals and objec-tives.
When Mr. Day was firstelected to the Board, theDistrict was operatingaccessible buses on 147routes. Today, the Districthas well over 1,781 acces-sible buses. Out of 194 totallines 180 are designatedaccessible routes.
In April, Mr. Day willhave been on the GlendaleCity Council for 12 years. "Ithink that's long enough,maybe too long. It will begood to have new blood, newideas to keep the vitality ofthe city up," Mr. Day said.
Last year Mr. Day wasappointed to the AmericanPublic Transit Association's
RTD Director John F. Day
retires from service on the
Board.
Task Force on Elderly andDisabled Services. The taskforce assessed the status ofthe transit industry'sservice to the elderly anddisabled and the systems'compliance with federalregulations.
"I want to continue myinterest in the elderly andthe disabled from a mobilitystandpoint," he said, "and inother areas that affect theirdaily living. I will miss theability to influence thepeople in transit as amember of the APTA taskforce. I have been to Wash-ington, D. C. to developpolicy on this. I regret notbeing able to see thisthrough." Mr. Day is alsoconcerned that the progressmade by the elderly anddisabled on the Board becontinued. "I would like tosee the Ad Hoc Committeeon Accessible Service bemade a permanent commit-tee. It developed out of therealization that we had to domore than we were doing."
In addition to hisinvolvement in localgovernment, Mr. Day is anactive member of the HolyFamily Catholic Church. Inrecognition of his services tothe church, he was awardedthe papal decoration ofKnight of the EquestrianOrder of the Holy Sepulchre,an ancient order of knight-hood dating back to the year100. He is also an activemember of the Sierra Club.
"I want to say that I amnot retiring by any means,I'm just changing fields. Iwant some input in the statepark systems and to getinvolved in other environ-mental issues. My family
The awards for the OperatorRecognition Program for themonth of December 1988were announced in January1989. The presentationsincluded the Manager'sAward given to full-timeoperators.
The program has as itspurpose to recognize andreward the many busoperators who consistentlyperform in an outstandingmanner. The theme of theprogram is "In Pursuit ofExcellence." Those operatorssucceeding in their pursuit
uses state parks a lot; Iwant to make whatever con-tribution I can to makethem more accessible to thepublic. We could make ourpark grounds more acces-sible to the elderly anddisabled."
Mr. Day also admitsthat by changing fields hehopes he will have moretime to play with his family.Two years ago, Mr. Daymarried Charlene Thee.
"It is with great regretthat I have to leave thisorganization. You have gotso many good people herewho are not recognized, andshould be. My going isbittersweet."
are listed below.
Manager's AwardRecipient3201 Curtis J. Wyrick3203 Cruz C. Bobadilla3205 Teddie E. Cheaves3206 Melvin E. Braxton3207 Reginald V. Foster3208 Jerrold B. Abramson3209 Arnold L. Van
Gordon3210 Don W. Hicks3212 George W. Dailey3215 David E. Hemion3216 Theodore R. Long3218 Clyde Corbitt
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 5
Moving the Post Office
The U.S. Postal Servicelocated on Alameda Streetin downtown Los Angeles,otherwise known as Termi-nal Annex, moved lock,stock, mailboxes, and its4,500 employees on Febru-ary 18. But, they couldn'thave done without the RTD.
The new facility, knownas the General Mail Facility
31111n1111....they couldn't
have done itwithout the RTD
or GMF, is located at 7001S. Central Avenue at thecorner of Florence Boule-vard, formerly occupied bythe Goodyear Plant.
Shortly before the bigmoving day, RTD BoardPresident Gordana Swan-
Lining up for information
before their big move, from
left to right: (partially seen)
James Harris, USPS
manager of GMF operations;
Walter Turner, GMF Tour-2
Superintendent; RTD
President Swanson; Neidra
Sanichan, USPS transporta-
tion analyst; Ed Langer, andDavid Wilson.
son, and Marketing Repre-sentatives David Wilson andEd Langer set up shop inthe lobby of Terminal Annexdispensing bus schedulesand giving postal employeesinformation about how theycould get there from here,and from their homes to thenew GMF. They alsoconsulted with NeidraSanichan, the PostalService's transportationrequisition analyst, who iscoordinating the parkingand transportation needs ofthe postal workers at thenew GMF.
While all the majorproduction components ofTerminal Annex have beenrelocated to the GMF, thelobby support area of the oldpost office remains open forbusiness.
Blood Donor Honor Roll
The American Red Crossissues this honor roll tothank those donors listedbelow whose efforts enabledmany surgery patients,cancer patients, andtraumatic injury victims torecover from life-threaten-ing situations. The nextblood drive will be heldMarch 10 at the Headquar-ters Building. Give the giftof life!
Jeannette BellSusan M. CarterNancy E. ChesterPeggy ClaiborneDarlene D. Daniels
Susan J. DeSantis HillmanRichard B. DimonClaire FitzgeraldJoseph L. GayFrank A. HarrisRobert T. KetringVicki R. LouisMyles NelliganCynthia J. PollanJoann Y. RicoMax SalazarShaker M. SawiresNancy L. SpearJoshua C. TorresLaraine C. WebbJoel WoodhullDavid A. CarrollLiliana ChavezRichard Christie
Sharon L. CooperYvon S. DavisSandra DigginsRamona C. EscarenoEllen G. FriedmanSuzanne B. GiffordDaniel IbarraRobert LarobLarry W. MorrisMaria PalominoTheresa RamirezJacquelyn A. RobertsDavid H. SansonBruce E. ShelburneVasan R. SrinivasanLuanna M. UrieDeborah K. WilliamsAllen S. YehMax Zollman
VaughnNamedOperator ofthe Month
Operator Thomas Vaughn.
Division 6 Operator ThomasVaughn was chosen theOperator of the Month forNovember, 1988.
Vaughn has receivedthe maximum number ofmerits in his career, and hashad only one avoidableaccident in the last 10 years.Because of his exemplaryrecord, Vaughn earned thestatus of line instructor in1973 and has receivednumerous letters of com-mendation.
"Thomas Vaughn is amodel employee," saidGeneral Manager AlanPegg. "His outstandingrecord of service over theyears sets a standard ofexcellence for all ouroperators to follow."
Vaughn operates Line414 through Santa Monicaand Malibu. He lives withhis wife, Lillian Rose, andtheir four children in SantaMonica. He is a movie triviabuff who spends much of hisspare time viewing films aswell as traveling.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 6
Vasquez Chosen InfoOperator of the Year
Telephone Information Operator of the Year Alicia Vasquez.
"Fresh Savings" Kick OffAt Glendale GalleriaEntertainment, prizes, andan appearance by AlitzahWeiner of NBC's "My TwoDads" helped officiallylaunch RTD's "FreshSavings" discount shoppingprogram on January 28 inthe Glendale area.
Festivities began in theCenter Court of the Glen-dale Galleria. Miss Weiner,who has a recently releasedsingle featuring the songs"Primera Vez" and "LaConsentida," and oftenperforms in Spanish, sangand danced for the shoppers.Also dancing and singinghits from the '60s wereElisabeth Howard's Holly-wood Hotshots.
Free gifts and doorprizes from RTD and co-sponsor Santa Cruz Skate-boards were available toaudience members. Askateboarding video,"Wheels of Fire," was shownalong with RTD's "Clean
Team," an anti- graffitimusic video.
The free
"Fresh Savings"
directory...
liste L.A. County
merchants that
offer discounts as
a bonus
to students
1n1111111n1
The free "Fresh Sav-ings" directory, now avail-able at participatingmerchants and aboard RTDbuses lists L.A. Countymerchants that ollerdiscounts as a bonus tostudents who buy the RTDmonthly bus pass.
Free Discount Coupons toCircus VargasRTD bus passengers cansave $2 each on tickets toCircus Vargas. The circusbegan playing in LosAngeles County on February10 and will continuethrough April 23 at numer-ous locations within GreaterLos Angeles.
RTD riders can finddiscount coupons in take-one brochures on buses andin District customer servicecenters. The coupons aregood for $2 off each for up to
four "front-preferred"tickets.
With one coupon, forexample, a family of twoadults and two childrenwould pay $34, a savingsof $8 from the regular priceof $42. Regular adult pricesfor front-preferred seats are$12.50 each, for children$8.50 each. Larger groupscan enjoy the discount bypresenting more than onecoupon.
Alicia Vasquez was namedthe Telephone InformationDepartment's Operator ofthe Year for 1988. Ms.Vasquez has been with thedepartment for 3 years. Inthat time she was selectedOperator of the Monthtwice.
Her perfect attendance,numerous commendations,and system expertise, inpart, garnered her thishonor. Other attributes thather supervisors say contrib-uted include her conscien-tiousness, politeness, andunflappable attitude whendealing with the crankiestcustomers. "She's the kindof person you want to talk towhen you call up forinformation," said Supervi-sor John Cohen. "She's oneof the most generous andgiving persons in thedepartment. She reallycares, she has a beautifulpersonality," said Supervi-sor Will Beard.
A native of Juarez,Mexico who was educated in
"She's the kind
of person
you want to
talk to when
you call up
for
information..."
El Paso, Texas, Ms. Vasquezis masterfully fluent inEnglish and Spanish anddispenses RTD informationin both languages dependingon the needs of the cus-tomer.
Ms. Vasquez resides inLa Puente with her husbandand two sons, Emmanuel,11, and Adrian, 9.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 7
MENDATIONS
Certificates of Merit were presented to the December 1988
Employees of the Month at the January 26, 1989 Board of
Directors' meeting by RTD Director John F. Day. Those
employees included, front row, the first three from left to
right: Information Operator Raquel Pena, Division 9306
Mechanic A Jose Medrano, Division 12 Operator Jose
Aguirre, and Division 12 Manager Eugene Hamilton. Back
row, from left to right: Director Day, General Manager Alan
Pegg, Division 6 Manager Jim Lukens, and Director of
Customer Relations Robert Williams.
Mechanic A Hector Covarru-
bias was selected the CMF-
Maintenance Employee of
the Month for October 1988.
Mr. Covarrubias is an
excellent mechanic with a
high degree of knowledge
and skill. He possesses a
positive attitude toward his
job and supervision, accepts
all job assignments cheer-
fully, and completes them in
a timely manner. The
quality of his work is
excellent. Not afraid to make
a decision, Mr. Covarrubias
can be counted an for
displays of initiative. Mr.
Covarrubias is the relief
leader for the Running
Repair Shop and has been
with the District for 9 years.
Property Maintainer A
Leader George F. Pelley was
named the Facilities
Maintenance Employee of
the Month for December
1988. Mr. Pelley is especially
commended for the excellent
manner in which he per-
forms his duties and his
willingness to accept
additional responsibilities.
He manages to keep trouble
calls to a minimum by doing
additional preventive
maintenance checks and
follow-ups between sched-
uled preventive maintenance
periods. Mr. Pelley is
assigned to El Monte and
has been with the District
for 4 years.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 8
The RTD Transit Police celebrated as two of their newest
members graduated from the rigorous 16-week program at
the Rio Hondo Police Academy on January 13, 1989. Transit
Police Officers Angel F. Frias and Eduardo Luevano were
presented their certificates at a ceremony held at the Rio
Hondo campus. Both officers were members of the Academy
Class No. 91. All smiles after the graduation were, from left
to right: Acting Assistant Police Chief Sharon Papa, Officer
Frias, Officer Luevano, and Sgt. Gene McRiley.
Senior Program Control
Analyst Donald Wong was
selected Program Control's
(of Transit Systems Develop-
ment (Metro Em-
ployee of the Quarter. Mr.
Wong has consistently
performed in a superior
manner an all his duties. He
greets all project personnel
with a friendly attitude and
is always willing to assist
with microcomputer and
mainframe computer
questions. He has made an
outstanding contribution to
the Metro Rail Project in the
development of simple-to-
use, powerful, and cost-
effective microcomputer
project management
systems.
Electronic Communications
Technician Leader Alejan-
dro Bigno was chosen the
Facilities Maintenance
Employee of the Month for
November 1988. Mr. Bigno
is commended for coordinat-
ing a very heavy workload in
his section and for assisting
the junior technicians
assigned there. He has been
the depot leader for several
years and always performs
his tasks in a professional
manner. He treats others
with respect and courtesy
and can be depended on to
perform well under any
circumstances.
Safety Engineer Rufus
Francis was selected Risk
Management's Employee of
the Quarter for the second
quarter. Francis has been
with the District for 1-112
years. In that time he has
worked with bus operators to
investigate and assess
hazards detected by opera-
tors. Many of there hazards
have been referred to
appropriate agencies such as
Caltrans for correction. He
has also worked with Stops
and Zones to ensure safer
placement of bus stops.
Francis was presented with
a check for $100 from the
Risk Management bonus
fund.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 9
...Commendations...continued from page 9
The Department of Risk Management honored other depart-
ment personnel for helping Risk Management meet their
objectives in the last quarter. These employees included
Susan Hillman from Personnel for her assistance in control-
ling workers' compensation claims; Don Patterson from
Customer Relations and his detection assistance to the P11
PD Fraud Unit; Bill Hesser from Payroll for his help in
making it look so easy; and Terry Padgitt for coordinating
Risk Management's data processing needs with MIS. From
left to right: Director of Risk Management Barbara Ander-
son, Susan Hillman, Don Patterson, Ken Irvin, representing
Hesser, and Terry Padgitt.
Risk Management singled three employees out for special
recognition of achievement during the quarter. They in-
cluded, from left to right: Safety Specialist John Vandercook,
Security Recorder Dan Hon, and Data Technician Tom
Forstreuter.
BLICOMMENDATIONS
Thanks For A JobWell Done!Division 3201Jackson, RandolphPerez, ElviraDivision 3203Bunch, James E.La Curan, James R.Division 3205King, Daniel G.Pierce, FelixDivision 3206Collins, MaryGreider, Laurie L.Division 3207Feldra, Larry F.Koltes, Irene E.Parker, ChristopherWashburn, DennisDivision 3208Blumberg, ArthurCastrellon, JoseClancy, F. T.Smythe, WilliamDivision 3209Cushman, William S.Santos, James D.Division 3210Hubler, MichaelSalas, Tony N.Division 3212Coleman, James A.Division 3215Hernandez, RubenHill, TimothyNiggl, Sharon A.Perez, RafaelWilliams, BarbaraWilliams, Lester E.Division 3216Pages, CarlosPowell, ThomasDivision 3218Doakes, Nathaniel W.Williams, Effie
Gentlemen:I got on the bus at
Kaiser Hospital in Pano-rama City and was greetedby a very friendly driver bythe narre of Rafael Perez.
I was most impressedby his kind and friendlymanner to all the passen-gers. I was sitting at thefront of the bus, so I wasable to see and hear all thepeople who were arrivingand leaving.
It really made my day,after leaving Kaiser, to seesuch a kind attitude, and I
IMMINn113
lt really
made my day...
wanted you to know this.Then I changed to a No.
420 bus on Burbank Blvd. tomy final destination onCorteen and Chandler Blvd.I was only on this bus a veryshort while but Jong enoughto realize that SteveKishner also was kind andhelpful to me.
Please let these twoyoung men know that it wasgood to ride on their route.
Wishing you and allyour staff a very happy andhealthy New Year, withPeace and prosperity for usall.
Sincerely yours,Mrs. Monty Isaacs
continued on page 11...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 10
What does a hero look like?—Nancy Spear at her console in
Telephone Information.
Employee Rider Brings Bus to a Stop on FreewayFor Telephone InformationOperator Nancy Spear, 44,Christmas Eve day meant,amid the usual hecticholiday activity, getting towork downtown by 2:30 p.m.It was raining the morningof December 24, 1988.Looking out the window,Nancy knew she'd have to
...continued from page 1Q
Dear Mr. Horn:Last Wednesday
December 28 I was waitingfor the 220 bus on Pershingand Manchester that arrivesat 6:51 a.m. I happened toturn and saw a bus driver(Daniel King) walkingtoward me. He told me thathe had trouble with his busand had to get another oneand had to drive on Manch-ester instead of Pershing. Ashe was making the turn onPershing he saw me waitingat the bus stop. He went outof his way, crossed thestreet and told me it was toocold to wait for an hourbefore the 7:50 bus came. Iwas really surprised andthanked him for his consid-eration.
I get off at Wilshire andseveral times the Wilshirebus operator would pass meup because he was late eventhough his bus was notcrowded. I asked theconsiderate driver for hisname but he said forget it soI took his number. He isvery clean in appearance. Iwant to compliment thepersonnel office in usinggood judgment in hiringpeople like him.
Yours truly,Jean Stark
make an earlier start to getto work on time. She had noway of knowing then that bytaking that earlier bus hercourage and cool head wouldlead to her commandingthat bus in order to avertwhat could have been acertain freeway disaster.
Nancy takes line 401
Gentlemen:This is to bring to your
attention the following factswith regard to OperatorJames E. Bunch on theevening of November 23,1988:
1. He is courteous andgreets all boarding passen-gers with a pleasing smile.
2. He is very consider-ate, especially to agedpassengers and answerstheir questions in a verypolite manner.
3. He is cheerful anddoes not make abrupt stops.
4. He became thesubject of my conversationwith other passengers whogot off at the intersection ofist Street and everyoneagreed that the bus driver iswell-bred and is worthy ofcommendation.
I don't know if my co-passengers did find time towrite to you about Mr.Bunch. I speak for myselfand I definitely feel that thisis well worth writing about.
Thank you for your kind
attention.Yours sincerely,Luis De Santos
everyday, which travelsdown the Pasadena Free-way, to get to work. Thatday she boarded bus 4308being driven by OperatorGeorge Perteet. He drove ata reasonable speed for arainy day, approximately 35to 40 miles per hour. "Thereare a number of dangerouscurves on the PasadenaFreeway that are mademore hazardous when itrains," said Nancy. She wasapprehensive, particularly,about the Avenue 64 turn."We were in the far left laneas we approached it. Whenit rains there are alwaysaccidents in this area. Sureenough, as we got near theAvenue 64 on-ramp and theSanta Fe railroad bridge Isaw that a car had spun outin the far right lane."
Operator Perteet hadnoticed it as well andbraked as the traffic slowed.However, this time as hebraked, the brakes lockedcausing the bus to skid.Perteet maneuvered the busaway from traffic toward theleft embankment. The
sudden movement causedthe bus to rock violently. "Iwas afraid the bus wasgoing to tip over," Nancysaid. As she sat three seatsopposite the driver with herback to the window, shenoticed that his foot was notbeing applied to the brake."I called to him. I asked himif he was ok, but I got noresponse."
Nancy sprang to action.Running up to the driver'sseat she saw that Perteetwas unconscious. Appar-ently when the bus wasrocking, Perteet's head hadbeen soundly knockedagainst the window. WhenNancy made the discoverythe bus was still moving.She immediately put herfoot on the brake. Anotherpassenger took the driveraway from the seat. "I thinkthe driver was doing hisbest before he hit his head,"said Nancy.
Nancy picked up theradio phone. She fumbled amoment in frustration
continued on page 12...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 11
...Employee Rider
...continued from page 11
because she did not knowhow to use it, but after a fewminutes found the lever youdepress to activate it.
"I got the DispatchCenter and talked with BillyMorton and Charlie Jen-kins. At first they couldn'tunderstand me, then theycouldn't locate me. Buteventually, they calmed medown and told me how tosecure the bus." Thedispatchers alerted theparamedics, highway patrol,and the transit police.
Fortunately, only onepassenger and the driversustained injuries, themajority of the 25 passen-gers, although excited bythe incident, were in goodphysical shape.
With the bus secured,Nancy was then able toadminister first aid toOperator Perteet. "By thenthe paramedics, highwaypatrol, Transit Police, androad supervisors were there.I think the dispatchers werevery helpful, I couldn't havedone it without their help.They asked me if I wouldlike to start driving," shesaid with a proud smile. Theroad supervisors tookOperator Perteet to thehospital.
"TOS Georgina Cervan-tes was great. She drove thebus off the freeway andcalmed everyone down. Shespoke in English andSpanish. All the passengerswere transferred to anotherbus, and all of this tookplace within an hour's time,"she said. In spite of all theexcitement, yes, Nancymade it to work on time.
Afterwards, Nancyadmits to feeling unsettledand anxious. "But, I was
relieved that nothing worsehad happened and that thedriver was all right."
Operator Perteet is fineand back to driving; and, sois the bus.
In a special letter ofcommendation, Nancy wascredited with avoiding a farmore serious situation byDirector of TransportationLeilia Bailey:
"Your actions took agreat deal of courage andstamina. The fact that youwere able to provide thedispatcher with informationregarding the incidenthelped to ensure a promptresponse by the emergencypersonnel....The quality ofour service depends on thework of everyone. Yourquick action in averting amajor incident demon-strated the finest type ofteam effort. You are a creditto the District."
When the emergencyarose, Nancy said she wasaware of a great sense ofalarm, "because we thoughtthe bus would tip over fromthe rocking. But for somereason I was able to call upthis calm focus. It didn'tseem courageous at thetime,...just logical. Some-thing had to be done. I amglad to have responded soquickly." This from a womanwho had never driven a busin her life before that fatefulday.
Nancy has worked inthe Telephone InformationDepartment for one yearand in that time has beenselected as an Operator ofthe Month for September1988. She says she enjoystalking to people andhelping them deal with thefundamental aspects of theirlives.
Nervous with all the
Bray, Bobby N., beganwith the District on July 31,1964, retired as an Electri-cian Leader on January 7,1989.Dacosta, Philip K., beganwith the District on January16, 1975, retired as a BusOperator on October 20,1988.Dailey, James R., beganwith the District on Septem-ber 21, 1963, retired as aBus Operator January 4,1989.Diamond, Elizabeth A.,began with the District onOctober 9, 1978, retired as aBus Operator on December1, 1988.Evans, Will R., began withthe District on May 18,1973, retired as a BusOperator on November 3,1988.Hammond, Joe L., beganwith the District on October26, 1987, retired as a BusOperator on December 27,1988.Hardgrow, John F., beganwith the District on Novem-ber 3, 1962, retired as a BusOperator on January 3,1989.Kilgore, William R., beganwith the District on July 21,1972, retired as a BusOperator on January 9,1989.Lego, Ted E., began withthe District on June 20,1974, retired as a Bus
attention she was getting,Nancy made it clear that theincident was totally unex-pected. "I've never doneanything like this before."She hopes she doesn't haveto again and thinks that
Operator on September 24,1988.Marshall, Robert, beganwith the District on April 4,1976, retired as a BusOperator on August 9, 1988.Mason, Maso, began withthe District on December 18,1965, retired as a BusOperator on December 19,1988.Nunez, Aurora L., beganwith the District on Decem-ber 18, 1978, retired as aBus Operator on January 3,1989.Patton, James A., beganwith the District on August8, 1964, retired as a BusOperator on January 3,1989.Peretz, Joshua, beganwith the District on May 6,1961, retired as a TransitOperations Supervisor onJanuary 3, 1989.Pflughoft, Robert H.,began with the District onNovember 4, 1974, retiredas a Transit OperationsSupervisor on December 23,1988.Ristitch, Raymond, beganwith the District on Novem-ber 9, 1978, retired as a BusOperator on November 16,1988.White, James K., beganwith the District on Septem-ber 4, 1957, retired as aTransit Operations Supervi-sor on December 31, 1988.
mishaps such as this can beprevented if warning signswere placed on the freeway,alerting drivers to slowdown when approaching themore precarious curves.
eIFTINGEARS
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 12
Alexander, Vincent, fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Aparicio, Richard J., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Ballard, Famale R., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Banks-Byrd, Elnora D.,from Bus Operator TraineeFull-time to Bus OperatorFull-time.Barberic, Shari V., fromTransit Police Investigatorto Transit Police Sergeant.Campos, Ernest A., fromMechanic B to Mechanic A.Castellanos, Ralph J.,from Bus Operator TraineePart-time to Bus OperatorPart-time.Childress, Clorinda, fromTypist Clerk to AccountsPayable Clerk.Chmielewski, Norman,from Storekeeper to Materi-els Management SystemsSupply Analyst.Christiansen, Kurt E.,from Planning Assistant toPlanner.Cortez, Rodolfo U., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Durant, Leslie S., fromProject Engineer to SystemsEngineering Manager.Eutsey, Ronald D., fromTransit Police Sergeant toTransit Police Lieutenant.Garcia, George T., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus OperatorPart-time.Gilpin, Jami L , from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.
Goms, Dennis W., fromMechanic A to Mechanic ALeader.Graves, Patrick V., fromMechanic A to Mechanic ALeader.Greene, Scott D., fromPlanning Assistant toPlanner.Guerrero, Antonio, fromMechanic C to Mechanic B.Henderson, Sandra R.,from Bus Operator TraineePart-time to Bus OperatorPart-time.Hubbell, Cathy R., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Jones, Linda A., from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.Kindred, Gea R., from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.Medina, Luis M., from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.Mockler, Michael T., fromSystems Electronic Commu-nications Technician toElectronic MaintenanceSupervisor I.Mota, Ramiro E., from BusOperator Trainee Full-timeto Bus Operator Full-time.Padilla, Andres J., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Patron, Gonzalo, from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.Petersen, Warren G., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Pierovich, Blaise, fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Pollan, Edward B., from
Supervising SystemsAnalysis Engineer toSystems Engineer &Analysis Manager.Rodriguez, Everett J.,from Transit Police Officerto Transit Police Investiga-tor.Reyes, Paz L., from Infor-mation Clerk to AccountsPayable Clerk.Seja, Raymond, from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.Senteno, Sandra C., fromService Attendant to ServiceAttendant Leader.Shannon, Lenard D., fromMechanic B to Mechanic A.Singh, Manjit H., from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.Soto, Bernardo V., fromBus Operator Trainee Part-time to Bus Operator Part-time.Stonehouse, James L.,from Transit Police OfficerTrainee to Transit PoliceOfficer.Thompson, George W.,from Transit Police Officerto Transit Police Investiga-tor.Trujillo, John G., fromTruck Driver/Clerk to StockClerk.Villanueva, Jose G., fromBus Operator Trainee Full-time to Bus Operator Full-time.Watson, Travion M., fromService Attendant to ServiceAttendant Leader.Williams, Deborah D.,from Bus Operator TraineePart-time to Bus OperatorPart-time.Wong, Timothy R., fromMechanic B to Mechanic A.Yepiz, Ubaldo E., from BusOperator Trainee Part-timeto Bus Operator Part-time.Zamorano, Miguel A.,from Bus Operator TraineePart-time to Bus OperatorPart-time.
1111111111111311n1n11111
About theCoverThose attractive people onthe cover are two valuedemployees from Division 1who just received theirhonors from the OperatorRecognition Program.Patricia Guerrero has beendriving for two years andwas just presented with aMeritorious Operatoraward. Patricia lives inRowland Heights. She hasfive children and says sheloves to drive, "honestly."
311111n111M
"Those attractive people
on the cover are two
valued employees...
who just received their
honors from
the Operator
recognition program."
Patricia used to run a daycare center before she cameto the RTD which probablygave her just the perspectiveshe needs when dealingwith the public. Eugene H.Williams has been anoperator for 29 years andaccepted his award forOutstanding Operator.Eugene says he likes peoplethat's why he's been able todrive all these years."People are a challenge, notwo are alike," he seid.Eugene is retiring next yearand hopes to indulge in hisfavorite sports whichinclude hunting and fishing.RTD salutes all its Out-standing and MeritoriousOperators!
C§C EDULEAIINGES
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 13
Cover Story
Top Operators for 1987/88Full-time and part-timeoperators during the periodof July 1, 1987 through June30, 1988 who qualified wereissued awards duringWinter 1988 in the catego-ries of Outstanding Opera-tor, Meritorious Operator-Attendance, and MeritoriousOperator-Operations.
In order to receive theOutstanding Operatoraward, the most exactingstandard, qualifyingoperators should have hadno more than 2 instances ofsick, missouts, or unexcusedabsence totaling 5 days.They must have had nosuspensions, no chargeableaccidents, no chargeablepassenger complaints, no
. chargeable safety violations,no more than one minor ruleviolation, and no indefiniteleave during this period.Outstanding full-timeoperators received a cashaward of $150 along with aframed certificate, patches,and a lapel pin. Outstand-ing part-timers received a$50 cash award and thesame additional awards.
Meritorious Operators-Attendance receivedrecognition by accumulatingno more than 2 instances ofsick, missouts, or unexcusedabsence exceeding a com-bined total of 5 work days.Other criteria included nosuspensions or indefiniteleave during this period.
Meritorious Operator-Operations awards required
that drivers have nochargeable accidents, nochargeable passengercomplaints, no indefiniteleave during this period, nosuspensions, no absencesexceeding 30 days, no more
than one chargeable safetyviolation, and no more thantwo minor rule violations.Full-time operators in thiscategory received a cashaward of $35, a certificate,and a lapel pin. Part-timeoperators received a $15cash award and the sameadditional awards.
This program has as itspurpose to recognize andreward the many busoperators who consistentlyperform in an outstandingor meritorious manner. Thenames of those operatorswho have proved theirmettle on and off the roadappear in the lists that
follow.
Division 3201Outstanding Full-timeLonnie AndersJames T. ArendJames H. BeltAlvaro T. BolanosLeroy CarterBenjamin F. CupidAlberto G. GarciaPeter M. GenesGilbert GutierrezManual GuzmanCelophus HicksLester LopezCurtis J. WyrickOutstanding Part-timeMac H. BaldridgeAbdul K. KhalilNoe MartinezFrancisco N. SandovalMeritorious -Full-time - OperationsRobert ArenasLeroy BalagRalph BarraganGregory BrownAntonio CabadaManual CabadaJoe ContrerasRichard CuevasJohn DawsonJohn DownesJulio FigueroaJoseph GarciaRobert GardnerGeorge GarrisonCarl GilbertJames GrahamJohn Grant
Steven HaasJames HainesAlbert HawthorneAlberto HinojosBernabe IbarraDouglas JacksonConnie JohnsonEamest KirkwoodElizabeth LawrenceClara LearKeith LintonOscar LunaGilbert MascorroWilliam MatthewsHenry MenciasAmadeo MontoyaJoaquin NavarroLorena NunleyDavid OjedaAntonio PalaciosEdward PenalberAlfred PortilloEnrique QuezadaRuben RamirezJohn RodriguezEdwin RomeoJuan SalcidoCalvin SandersDavid SandersonErnest ScottClaudio SolisOscar SosaDonald StevensBrenda ThomasJohn ThomasWalter VenegasGilvert VialpandoA. V. WashingtonIvan WebbRalph WillysSamuel WoodRobert ZeldenDee ZellerDonald DavisMeritorious -Part-time - OperationsSaturday AisuanRoger BanksSylvia HuertaLinda LealFrancis MauliolaJoseph RayaGerardo VazquesNicanor CastilloJohn CelayaPatricia CordovaPatricia GuerreroVicky MaesGlenn RougeauAlice VerelaLuis ZeledonMeritorious -Full-time - AttendanceJuan ArceVictor ArriolaThomas Bell
Jewell BlakeJorge BrettRobert DuarteWilliam EricksonWallace GholstonRafael GonzalezGilberto Heim andezBernabe IbarraJesus JiminezRobert LarobJacinto LazoWaldemar MazzoniAmadeo MontoyaJoaquin NavarroLorena NunleyGuillerrno PerezAlfred PortilloTeddy SandersCesar TainoJohn ThomasJoe VenegasWalter VenegasMeritorious -Full-time - AttendanceA.V. WashingtonIvan WebbEugene WilliamsRobert ZeldenCarlos BanuelosMeritorious -Part-time - AttendanceGerardo VazquezDalbir BrarNicanor CastilloKatherine CarltonVicky MaesPaul RoybalGary GentryDinh TranTat Tong MarkDivision 3203Outstanding Full-timeRosie L. BanksBilly R. BennettCornelius L. BradfordLarry BusbyThomas J. ByrdDave J. CapmbellMario V. CancioWalter J. CarmierTom ChungRamulo ContrerasLila A. EstradaJohn H. Fangon, Jr.Jorge A. GalvanRichard A. GomezFrederiak G. HallDaniel R. KeenShingya MäCesar M. MaruffoDwight M. MartinAndres MejiaCarlos G. MendizabalGabriel J. MerrittRicardo Perez
continued on page 15...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 14
...continued from page 14 Robert LegierDavid Luna
Emelina RamirezLucille Rhodes
Dora McAfeeRichard Powell
Joseph V. Reichert Roberto Marin Josephine Robles Barbara RandolphArmando V. Rivas Alexander Martinez Benjamin Sao Elbert RichardsonMiguel A. Rukos Ponciano Maya Margaret Siguentes Robert RichardsonNick Sifuentes James Mayes Roberta Wells Earl RobertsWalter R Skinner David Mayo Cornelius Williams Billy RobinsonJuan Uehara Lydia Mazariegos Alexander Dexter Lewis RobinsonAlberto G. Velasco Scott Mercer Julio Soto-Peres Curtis ShelbyJoseph R. White Louis Morales Meritorious - Phyllis SmithFrank R. Zamora Joshua Nash Full-time - Attendance Harry StanberryWillie R. Randle George Novelo Harold Hopkins Albert StandberryJohnny Color Roberto Olivas Samih Abu-Hajer Albert StanislasJorge H. Nilo Manual Padilla Alexander Adame Alfred TaylorOutstanding - Part-time Maria Pena William Bethke Odell WalkerAngelo J. Arnone Eliseo Perez Peter Bueras Theron WatkinsJorge E. Baltazar Larry Pollard Paxton Chew Ricky WedlowFrancisco T. Cardenas Carolyn Proctor Earl Cobbs Billie WharryArturo E. Hernandez Michael Quesada Manual Hernandez Masco WhiteheadDelfin° Rodriguez Rosendo Reyes Joann Johnson Booker WhitlockElias D. Soria Gerald Ritter James La Curan Huletlishe WileyEleanor A. Stone M. Robertson Rudolph Lagunas Ricardo MirandaPhillip Yu Salvador Rojas James Noss Meritorious -Meritorious - Evangelina Rojo Salvador Rojas Part-time - OperationsFull-time - Operations Howard Root Andres Saunders Manual GonzalezArthur Alva Guillermo Rosales Braxton Shankle Warren LampkinJames Adams William Rusnak William Stelly Richard ViramontesRebecca Alvarez Jaime Saenz Roberto Martinez Nathan YoungSocorro Alvarez Charles Sailor Meritorious - Arthur GallegosRuben Arias Philip Salcido Part-time - Attendance John HaleRichard Arroyo Braxton Shankle Daniel Frias Donald LongJuan Sugspurger Cynthia Ransom Rogelio Nino Tomy MartinCarlos Beltran Kris Sharp Cornelius Williams O'Wendell PriceCarlos Bonilla Rhodney Shorts Alexander Dexter Edmond EnglandThomas Brown Rudolfo Sifuentes Philip Mercer Meritorious -Rene Carrera Jerome Smith Eduardo Uvals Full-time - AttendanceEdward Carter Sabrina Sparks Division 3205 Rodrigo BlasMichael Chavarria Clyde Spears Outstanding - Full-time Charlene BledsoePaxton Chew Bienvenido Suarez Gerald F. Luke Teddie CheavesEarl Boccs Foster Taylor Jimmy L. Brown Ricahrd CurryRudy Cruz Michael Thomas Jesse J. Davis Lester EiligJesse Curtis Moses Tolbert Joe F. Eiland Billy FergusonRalph Dawson Richard Torres Hansel Flowers William FitzgeraldRobert DeLaFuente Louis Trammell Robert L. Foreman Emmanual GladdenHenry Dixon Jose Ulloa Gary E. Gaines Louis HobbsCarlos Domenech Ruhen Villagran Thurmon A. Green Frank HollingquestFrank Espinosa Robert Wageman Hilton H. Hackley Ricardo MirandaCharles Essex Charles Wilt Sterling J. Hampton Samuel HumpheryGerardo Farias Robert Young Doris E. Harris Curtis JohnsonSandra Fletcher Jose Gutierrez Jerry Jenkins Joshua JonesDebbie Flores Jess Miyagishima Tommie L. Johnson Alonzo KelleyHoward Franklin Octavia Shelton Robert Perkins Timothy KornegayRobert Galindo Meritorious - Claude L. Pilgrim Leroy KylesAndrew Garcia Part-time - Operations Charles I. Pope Ernest MillerJames Gardner Albert Moraga George B. Rucker John MitchellSalvador Gonzalez Joseph Andes Kermit Thornton Jesse MontgomeryRaul Granados Gloria Areu Lovell J. Ventry Gwendolyn MullinsHector Guerrero David Bernal Cue 0. White Elbert RichardsonJose Guerrero Sharon Best Carl L. Winston Robert RichardsonRobert Gullart Elmer Briscoe Outstanding - Part-time Earl RiobertsMarcos Gutierrez George Brown Kevin T. Devlin Elmore TircuitJerry Haro Jesse Celaya Meritorious - Bruce WilliamsCharles Helton Alfonson Chaves Full-time - Operations Elias GoldblattStephanie Houdashelt Willie Dee Charlene Bledsoe Wayne DavisJesus Huizar John Fletcher William Brinson Meritorious -Moses Jackson Dwayne Flowers Teddie Cheaves Part-time - AttendanceWilliam Jackson Manote Kongthong Lester Ellis Manual GonzalezGabriel Jimenez Benjamin Leyva John Green Richard ViramontesDaniel Keosababian George Lizaola Henry Holmes John HaleChristopher Klein Manual Lopez Samnuel Humphery Donald LongRudolph Lagunas Ramon Peniche Curtis Johnson Willie WrightTommy Lambert George Perteet Mary Johnson continued an page 16...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 15
...continued from page 15Raymond L. SanteeOutstanding - Part-time
Tony ByoneMeritorious-
Ronald M. DavenportBeverly A. Petty
Melvin Chaney Nelson Torres Full-time- Attendance Michael G. ReedGregory Smith Meritorious - Joshua Alvarez Juan D. RosasDivision 3206 Full-time - Operations Louis Arthur Meritorious-Outstanding - Full-time Dolores Adams Savanah Bowers Full-time- OperationsReginald D. Ables Eugene Adams Berkeley Burrell Vharles BlatttJohn Barberio Steve Aguilar Rick Cadelli Robert CormackSherman H Dorsey Louis Arthur Garland Claybourne Efrain GomezRaymond C. Seilers Pete Avila Larry Crane Mark HollandDaniel Wilson Charles Bateman John Escher Michael KochanskiOscar Solomon Savanah Bowers Raymond Hallowell Steven KusherMark Coleman Steven Bragg Rone Hansen Travis RobertsonOutstanding Part-time Michael Chapel Robert Higbee Walter RobyNo Winners Timothy Del Cambre Carlos Iglesias Paul SchneiderMeritorious - Patricia Dixon John Jung Gordon StevensonFull-time - Operations Francisco Escobedo Michael Lespron Fred ZwickGabriel Benitez Yucle Eubanks Jon Linton Ralph SmithIra Camp Willie Franklin Aubrey McGlory Steven StarkDonald Cleveland Hardie Gülle Orlando Medrano Terrence StruttVictor Fenty Ralph Gilmer Anthony Melton Jay TayrienHector Gutierrez Larry Hale Ibrahim Mia Albert ThackerJohnny Hardwick Leo Holland Dana Mitthell Leslie VanceSandra Harris William Hudson Carl Motley, Sr. James MaddenGregory Hughes Carlos Iglesias Juan Pena Robert PowellHarold Kenneybrew Alfonso Jaramillo Wesley Price Steve SarakDavid Monroe Bobby Johnson Gien Rey Ervin Richardson Leonard SchmidtRonald Murphy George Johnson Harry Simmons Victor ArancibiaPhilip Powers John Johnson Robert Solomon Carl BenyoLucious Shepherd Marving Johnson William Thomas David BuellThomas Vaughn Otis Johnson John Villagran Lilliam FordJackie Davis Sidney Johnson Bernard Warren Benny FoxAntonio Roxas Mingo Jones Handy Weathersbee Ruth GaitanisMeritorious - Robert Jones Alton Williams Candelario GomezPart-time - Operations Dale Kinkade Lewis Willis Verne GreenwoodAlvaro Valencia Michael Lespron Meritorious - Eddie GustinGabriel Benitez Jon Linton Full-time - Attendance James HawkesHerbert Block Barrion Marsh Frank Wood W.Y. Kobashigawa
Willis Caffery Richard Martin James Wright Penny LandisDonald Cleveland Matthew Matterer George Zamfirescu Steven Landis
Johnny Hardwick Anthony Melton Ronald Price Joseph LeviWilliam Long Gregory Mills Meritorious - Meritorious -
Dan Bora Joe Oliver Part-time - Attendance Part-time - OperationsJackie David Arthur Perez Bhupinder Brar Joyce Antill
Meritorious - Qesley Price Jimmy Eiselstein Robert BairPart-time - Attendance Stephen Rank Charles Jackson Milton EppersonDavid Resendez Johnny Robles Walter Morgen Berkeley Fielding
Charles Epharim John Saunders Rick Morrisey Allan HernandezRudy Krause Meredith Sidney Division 3208 Phillip Lockwood
Sylvia Lopez Johnny Smith Outstanding - Full-time Anthony Marques
Samson Gessesse Lawrence Smith Martin Crespi Pablo Acosta
Division 3207 Robert Solomon Jerrold B. Abramson Charles Blatt
Outstanding Full-time Bobby Taylor Francisco J. Aldoney Robert Cormack
Benorce Blackmon Thelma Thierry Ronald E. Blake Efrain Gomez
Charles Bledsoe Leslie Thompson Ralph A. Bruno Michael Kochanski
Columbus Burnette Lucy Turner Steven R. Churchill Steven Kusher
David L. Doakes Alton Williams Cesar S. De Guzman Paul Schneider
Harris L. Douglas Thomas Williams Jose E. Galvan Gordon Strassburg
Freddie J. Fair Lewis Willis Vester M. Grayson Peter Thomsen
Tyrone Fordham Phillip Winston Oscar J. London Ernesto Trinidad
Reginald B. Foster Eimer Witcher Alen N. Luke Marshall Long
Harold L. Hadley James Wright Gerald G. Maizland George Melanson
Martin C. Jurado Larry Youn Isidoro T. Moreno Robert Nidetz
Yandell C. Lister Nafi Wah-Hab Richard Padilla Alfred Sassano
William E. Matthews Meritorious - Charles E. Ravens Carl Benyo
James W. McDuffie Part-time - Operations David I. Singer Danny Garcia
Carter M. Norwood Walter Brady John w. Walth Candalario Gomez
James R. Phillips Leonard Andico James C. Sherman Kenneth King
Eddie R. Razo Jimmy Eiselstein George L. Elks Meritorious -
Simmie L. Sanders Orlando Lopez Terry J. Davis Part-time - Attendance
Michael Q. Qladen Rick Morrisey Outstanding Part-time Margaret Favela
Nathan Weathersbee Albert Navarro Carrol Carmichael continued an page 17...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 16
...continued from page 16 Jesse Garcia Harry Fradejas Ramonda BowserHisaias Gonzales Cathy Hardway Dolores Fernandez
Anthony Marquez Joseph Griego John Johnson Harry FradejasPablo Acosta Ruhen Guerra Alice McDonald Alice McDonaldCharlie Sevilla Carlos Gutierrez Jeffrey Newman Rafael SalasDivision 3209 Robert Hall Laurence Presser Division 3210Outstanding - Full-time James Harvey Irene Rodriques Outstanding - Full-timeWilliam Altemeier Roy Hawes O.P. Strilecki Mark G. AllmanJohn E. Angeski Robert Hiatt Mario Villegas Charles H. AndersonJose S. Arizmendi Frederick Hidalgo Luis Zamudio Armando J. CarbajalWalter R. Bell Wilbur James Meritorious- Luis A. CardenasDavid Crevantes Larry Jessie Full-time- Attendance D'avid M. CaudilloWric C. Congiardo William Johnson Oscar Aguayo William E. DurazoBacilio A. Cortez Clarence Jones H.C. Alvarez Melvin GarrettWilliam S. Cushman Dawud Karriem Reymundo Barrasa Jose N. GuzmanArle E. Davenport Newitt Lawson Bennie Bedford Donald H. LeeJerry D. Duncan John Legans Harry Brame Edward A. MoorefieldVernon H. Ebert Sally Lemkuhl Michael Brown William PadillaJoe S. Ellis Lowell Lewis Leonardo Camacho Ernest ParedesJohn J. Flechas Jerry McDaniel Felipe Castillo Jose R. Perez .Roberto J. Franco Warren Mitthell Francisco Chavez Narcizo M. PeresJesus E. Galang Manual Narvaez Edmundo Colchado Robert J. PittsGabriel Garcia Stanley Oawster Ralph Cunningham Alberto RivadeneyraJames F. Gowins Ardell Olsen James Dailey Juan M. RosalesWilliam R. Hines Frederick Owens Danny Ennis William RowserFelipe Huante Richard Patterson Mike Estrada George SamoylenkoLoren H. Hubler Manuel Perez Carlos Garcis Jimmie ShortersPaul E. Lajoie John Poulos Vincent Garcia Jimmy L. WilliamsHugo C. Lopez Feodie Powers Hisaias Gonzales Ellis E. WilsonJaview Lopez Charles Poke Vicente Gonzalez Jerry L. WoodsonCarlton J. Marshall Alfred Ramirez Robert Gonzalez Outstanding - Part-timeJohnny M. McKinney Felipe Ramirez David Gehring Walter T. AndersenDeeb Morad Arturo Rangel David Hamilton Andrew BarbosaVictor 0. Ortiz Robert Rauchfuss Egils Jagers Robert B. DavisIgnacio M. Remus Lorenzo Rivera Larry Jessie Raymond High-WolfJohn E. Steyn Louis Rivera Frederico Jiminez Irene M. LewtonJoe V. Swift Youssef Rizkallah William Jonhnson Daniel B. SaldanaRoberto Trejo James Roberts Dawud Karriem Rogelio U. CastroAnrold L. Van Gordon Armando Rodriguez Richard Kearney Ramon AlvarezWordrow Williams Lionel Romero Lowell Lewis Surinder Mohan ToorAngel Miranda Jonas Rudolph Damiam Lopez Ronald J. FigueroaFausto Gonzalez Ralph Ruiz Fred Martinez John C. DwyerJames J. Lueken, Jr. Richard Salcido Alfred Mendoza Mario A. ChavezOutstanding - Part-time Laurence Sena Luis Moreno James D. GonzalesHarry C. Oswald Enrique Serrano Tomas Ocasio Scott G. LeeMichael C. Palmer Jose Serrano Richard Patterson Don W. HicksJesus Perez Walter Shelby Joseph Palmisano Richard AdamsJudge Adams Hillery Sheppard Ricahrd Perez Jeffrey AemmerMartin Ahlstron Leoncio Sia Felipe Ramirez William AlexanderRobert Apodaca Doanld Sinkfield Philip Ramirez Guillermo AnayaDoanld Avila Larry Smith Arturo Rangel David AufmuthWilliam Amey Charles Sugarman Jimmy Rayford Donald AutryWilliam Ballard Travis Trujillo Lionel Romero Michael AvalosReymundo Barrasa Dan Urban Carlos Sahagun Ramon BaluyotAndrew Bernstein Hubert Usher Gonzalo Sanchez James BassRonald Bowen Jerald Vallier James Santos Theartis BlueMildres Bradford Gary Vance Sam Saunooke Robert BiedronHarry Bayless Benjamin Welch Enrique Serrano Gerald BinghamHector Carbajal Lenard Wilkes Jose Serrano Beatrice BrooksGeorrgina Cervantes Virgil Wilson Larry Smith Encarnacion CabreraDonald Clark Kennthe Wilkerson Santiago Ulibarri Jesse CarrascoFrancisco Cordova Marcos Rodriguez Billie Underhill Alberto CasillasDaniel Creal Rafael Rojan Hubert Usher Robert ChascoRalph Cunningham Alex Hernandez Merlin Waring Stephen CruiseFrank Demascio Ernest Pasini C.L. Wilkerson Jose CruzCharles Dreier Meritorious - Larry Williams Romel DeloatchKiumars Elhami Part-time - Operation Richard Bryant Richard De Los ReyesClifford Ellison Carolyn Alsdurf Marcos Rodriguez Dewitt DukeFrank Flores Grace Arevalos John Poulos Gloria DukeKennedy Franklin Philip Banks Meritorious - Ernest EdwardsJames Garcia Jose Berumen Part-time - Attendance Vernell ElginCarlos Garcis Martha Ceniceros Leonel Alcazar
continued an page 18...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 17
...continued from page 17Robert DanielMeritorious -
Jorge A. BarredaGeorge W. Dailey
John ReynoldsElliot Ribeiro
S.E. Ferguson Full-time - Attendance Doanld R. Dube Joe RodriguezRamon Fernandez John Alarcon Pate A. Earnest Joseph SantoyoRobert Donaldson William Alexander Adam Gandara Zachary SchusterGuadalupe Fuentes Tommy Armstrong William A. Gerhold Albert ScottEmmett Gates Jose Barbosa Jesse G. Gomez John SpeigelJeska Gilder James Bass Robert R. Kennie Gary StoneFrancisco Gomer Alvin Benard Leo W. King Monte StrattonGonzalo Gutierrez Walter Bueno Patrick J. Monaghan Meritorious -Odis Hamer Jose Camacho Miguel V. Moran Full-time - OperationsJuventino Hernandez Charles Cannon Don W. Osborne Bobby TifftSamuel Hill Robert Chasco E.L. Paternoster Bernardo TorresWilliam Jackson Rowan Curtis Liviu Radu Raymond TuggleEdward Jaramillo Dewitt Duke Jimmy G. Rodgers Oliver UnderwoodElroy Johnson Rafael Espinosa Ramon Rodriguez Rodolfo VelasquezAnthony Jones Winston Fisher Eugene Rollins Walter WadlingtonSyed Kamel Richard Flores Milo Starts Gerald WhitePete Kordi William Freeman Michael J. Streppone Augustus WilliamsHilton Lavalas Julio Gallo Joseph A. Symons Willie WilliamsMaxine Lewis Sheila Grover Harold V. Williams Jeffrey WolfsonErnest Martinez Gonzalo Gutierrez Algernon A. Wise Frank HousetonJavier Martinez Odis Hamer Crisanto P. Simbulan Meritorious -Mary Mathis L.M. Hamilton Outstanding - Part-time Part-time - OperationsThomas Mattocks Hector Hernandez George Damian Terri AitkenSemmie McCoy Juventino Hernandez Joel F. Fradejas Earl ChandlerChalres Miles Samuel Hill Richard R. Martinez Jerome LimmerGloria Mims Clarence Jack Meritorious James McGranorGabriel Munoz Jin Kim Full-time Operations Stephen PuckettDonna Murdock Hilton Lavales Eduardo Acuna Meritorious -Paul Nelson Freddie McGee Robert Baxter Full-time - AttendanceHerbert Orange Alfredo Miranda Howard Benchley Eduardo AcunaWilliam Peterson Bruce Montgomery James Broaddus Ronald BillinglsleyThomas Reclusado Ralph Patterson M.S. Campaniello George BornerAaron Ricahrdson Fred Perry Peter Cardias Rogelio ChaconLeroy Robinson Mary Small Jesus Carrasco Emiliano ChavezCresencio Rodriguez Salvador Ramirez Luis Centeno Penny ClerkLilliam Rodriguez Andre Reed Rogelio Chacon Julio FontouraAbdul Saafir David Seelig Emiliano Chavez Edward GomezRobert Scanu Jose Solano Arthur Clary Catarino GonzalezBeauford Scott Rodney Tatum Ricahrd Coleman Eddie GossPaul Scott Jacob Tuason Carl Corde Harley HaasWilliam Shade Margaret Tucker Kirk Davis Elton HoffmanHarbaksh Singh John Urrutia John Fernandez Albert JohnsonDon Smith Benjamin Walker Hardy Fondreaux D. Johnson
Jose Solano Damen Williams Arthur Fontanez Matthew Kim
Nestor Soto Pauline Bradford Daniel Gavurnick Elijan La Cour
Stella Srour Meritorious - Richard Gebauer Ca Quan Lam
Werner Thatje Part-time - Attendance Catarino Gonzalez Fred LawlerJacob Tuason Gilberto Comacho Harley Haas Hung Xuan Le
Thomas Turner Mario Garcia Arthur Hernandez Ralph Lee
Russell Urmanski Gail Gilmer Seferino Holguin Victor MarkovichJesse Westhersbee Hau Nguyen Lee Hutchinson Major McKay
George Wiley Hugo Bonini Delores Isom Hector Moreno
Patricia Zasadil Darryl Castile Homer Jenkins Rafael Murillo
Jesse Zimmerman Sergio Chavez Edward Johansson Tu an Newton
Eugene Keyes Jose Holguin Albert Johnson John Panneck
Ben Ethridge George Lakis D. Johnson Joseph Poche
Meritorious Neal Moore Michael Jones Antonio RendonPart-time - Operations Daniel Onopa Matthew Kim John Reynolds
Alejandro Cazarez Tony Sales Elijah La Cour Elliot Ribeiro
Daniel Elzey Alex Gallegos Lester Lewis Zachary Schuster
Hau Nguyen Manual Garcia Samuel Licon Albert Scott
Timothy Pledger Tadeo Vasquez Michael Martinez John Speigel
Guadalupe Vele Jeffrey Bingley Major McKay Gary Stone
Kathy Aguilar Robert Daniel Andre Molette Bobby Tifft
Bunni Barr Joe Gonzalez Rafael Murillo Bernardo Torres
Hugo Bonini Division 3212 Tu an Newton Oliver Underwood
Ruhen Espinoza Outstanding - Full-date Ruth Paul Walter Wadlington
Pankajkumar Radia Wendell L. Agee Richard Pedroza Gerald White
John Santiago Jose A. Aguirre Joseph Poche Augustus Williams
Alex Gallegos Jack A. Bailey Antonio Rendoncontinued an page 19...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 18
...continued from page 18 Charlid BoldenRicardo Botello
Donald WortenMeritorious -
Joseph BaileyJames I. Beam
Willie Williams Raul Briones Part-time - Operations John H. BolesGregory Bowman Robert Buchanan Lyren Bevill Todd D. BrulePhung Dinh Signh Butalia Julie Covarrubias John H. CalwellA. Lam Patrick Byrne Dennis Duquene Luduvico M. CastroMeritorious- Henrietta Caldwell Odilia Maiich Brownlee CromwellPart-time - Attendance Luis Campos Linda Navarro Francis T. DavieTerri Aitken Forest Churchill Merwin Saxe Robert A. DescombesJoseph Billingsley Alice Colantonio Meritorious - Julio E. DiazRobert Dennis Eric Collins Full-time - Attendance Herman W. DouglasSandra Fitzhugh Hilarion Corpus James Anderson Lloyd M. SharrowErnest Holguin Donald Cullom Edward Blancarte Charles J. WardeJoseph McDaniels Odessa Davis Miguel Brambila Thomas A. WeihertJames McGranor Purcell Davis Luis Campos Alfonso G. GarciaStephen Puckett Arturo Delgado Louis Castellanos Allen L. HardersEliseo Villanueva Glenn Ford Marco Conde John F. HardgrowDelwin Morris Jeffrey Foster Donald Cullom Wilmer E. JohnsonDivision 3215 Barry Glendenning Marvin Deuser Theodore R. LongOutstanding - Full-time Porfirio Gomez Jose Festejo Thomas E. LoperAlfred M. Alderete Guillermo Gonzalez Mauricio Flores K.M. LucasRolando B. Filoteo Jose Guadalupe Elliott Forrest Lionel ManuelJohn S. Baber Gaylord Hamm Walter Fujimori Joseph a. McDonaldParry H. Benjamin Paul Harris Roger Galland Randall R. MooreMarcial Blanco Patrick Hart Stephen Glaser James W. MurphyWilliam a. Chatelain Juan Hernandez Clara Grabowski Jimmie L. PrinceDonald H. Corton Robert Holiday Rodrigo Guzman Milton R. SaaThomas R. Cowan Carlos Iglesias Clarence Hagan Corval R. SattlerWilliam B. Craig Charles Jackson Elizabeth Harvell Lester J. AlbertEunice L. Culbert John Kirkham Porter Henry Herman KoenekampRoger Desgroseilliers Larry Lewis John Jackson Outstanding - Part-timeJohn J. Halyak William Liddell Luanao James Alex S. PagesAndrew Harris Arthur Lloyd Jorge Jativa Donna M. QuayWilliam Harris Louis Lucero Rosset Kogen Eric D. ThomasDavid E. Hemion Chan Maq Edward Lavizzo Meritorious -David S. Iglesias Cristobal Medina Arthur Lloyd Full-time - OperationsSteven E. Jeffries Charles Moore Claude Lujan James DavisDonald L. Johnson Robert Moore Bellenger Morgan Lamar BallUrsula M. Johnson Eddie Nava John Moya Earven BrittenumEarl M. Jones Emenuella Northington Oscar Najarro Paul BrooksJesse L. Kirkland Neil O'Brien Joe Polina Jasper BullockMartin R. Long Robert Owens Ernest Redmond Sampson ButlerNasir D. Mia Gary Padilla Percy Rhodes Richard CrostonGary L Miller Harvey Parnell Frank Robinson Herbert DicksonRussell J. Modell Danilo Parra Luis Rodriguez Morris DonaldWilliam C. Motherspaw Philip Patton Errol Rousseve George DouglasRaymundo Najera Rafael Perez Salvatore Russo Robert FisherFrancisco J. Perez Bruce Pohja Arthur Sheldon Raymond HartEduardo Peza Joe Polina Daniel Simon Clarence HendersonJoel C. Potts Tino Rodriguez Suresh Singh Larry JarmanRoy Reed George Roessner Susan Tompkins Leslie JonesBert J. Tetley Jon Rossiter Michael Turner Robert JonesNicholas T. Tummolo Richard Sanchez Erik Von Wendlandt Dexter KernDainton L. Urso Jesse Sanders Ronald Weckbacher Harold LitzCarmine A. Zeccardi Henry See Jessie Wilson Annie LivingstonAnthony Amatuzzo Gien Steele Paul Zablocki John Madril
Outstanding - Part-time Alfredo Stephani Meritorious - Michael Mathieu
Maria H. Antonowicz John Swinford Part-time - Attendance Lawrence McCrary
Roberto Chavez David Swinton Ramon Alarcon Robert McMorris
Helen I. Cruz Donald Van Dyke Alma Albarran David McReynolds
Betty J. Liddell Jose Vasquez Jim Garcia Ogle MeneesDouglas Y.D. Park Francisco Vigil Steven McAdams Billy MortonJawahar S. Sira Arthur Wake Jose Prado Mildred Rogers James Blackston
Patricia R. Stewart Solester Watts Guillermo Valencia Herman Hall
Victor J. Mironas David Wesson Roy Rembert Robert Nordstrom
Jesus J. Serrano Barbara Williams Theresa Jojola Charles Olivas
Meritorious - John Williams Division 3216 Carlos Pages
Full-time - Operations Lester Williams Outstanding - Full-time Leslie Park
Dora Alvarez Robert Williams Donald S. Delay Dale Parks
Jerry Babbitt Jessie Wilson Dale K. Aleshire Leroy Edwards
Darryld Baabcock Barbara Winner Richard Z. Alvarado Edward Sanchez
Rober Bogenberger Ronald Woods Angel A. Alvarezcontinued an page 20...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 19
Just the Break He NeededTwo years ago TravionWatson started at theDistrict as a youth workerin the Graffiti Programfunded by County Supervi-sor Kenneth Hahn. Theprogram offered youth inHahn's Second Districtemployment for a limitedperiod cleaning graffiti off ofRTD Buses.
Today, Travion, 21, is aService Attendant Leaderout of Division 9318.
Youth CoordinatorElvira Valdez said shespotted Travion's talentearly. "He is a very respon-sible, conscientious youngman, a model employee. Heis very mature for his age. Iwish everyone were likehim," she said.
Travion is a graduate ofVerbum Dei High School inLos Angeles. Followinggraduation, he attended ITTBusiness College. "I took thejob at the RTD to pay backmy college loans. RTDPlanner Michael Brewertold me about the openings,"Travion said.
He says it feels good
Service Attendant Leader
Travion Watson coming up
from the ranks.
having secured his currentposition, his face lights upwith pride. "I help those Isupervise to be betterworkers," he said.
Things are definitelylooking up for Travion. Heand his mother recentlybought a home in Compton.But, despite all the benefitsthat come from promotions,Travion is also discoveringlike all others who havegone before him that in thebeginning responsibility canbe a little overwhelming. "Ido get kind of nervous aboutall the changes, though,"said Travion.
Leopoldo FajardoEnnis FinleyMarvin FiteJoseph FrancisJesse GardnerBrian GawCharleston GranthamJohnny HuntleyDexter JenningsClence BarryDavid LaneJames LoganRobert MarkhamGregory McCoyFelton MooreThinh NguyenB.W. RobertsonJames ShanklinJames SmithAlthonia StokesDamastas StrongHillard Vickers
Johnnie WilkersonEffie WilliamsFreddie WilliamsLee GilbertJesus MacatiangChanh TranMeritorious -Part-time - AttendanceSherman AndersonEzequiel OlivoDavid ImayeNho Van LeRonnie HuertaJohn JamesPaul InocencioJoyce McKenzieWilbert Vander-PloegWilliam WallsRafiqa MuhammadMelvin Taylor
Diane ColePredester CollierJames CraigBrenda DavidClara DunnBillie GreenJohn GuzmanCharley HardyHubert HayesToni HillCary HoganLarry HornDonna HumphreyMarvin FiteGene FreemanJames GavinRoger GildsRobert JohnsonWilliam KelsoCornelius LoweryGeraldine PayneRobert MarkhamDwight McLaughlinEddie MitthellMichael NimmersJohn PetersonRosalie PulliamVilma RamosCarl RemsJames ShanklinAnna SimpsonJames SmithMaurice SmithPrinticen SmithMichael SquallsAlthonia StokesAndrew StubblefieldAnita SykesJose VelasquezHillard VickersJohnnie WilkersonBobby WilliamsFreddie WilliamsTamra WilliamsSteve WoodsPrince WilliamsWillie WilliamsLarry WaterChanh TranPhillip SamuelsMeritorious -Part-time - OperationsChristina JohnsonIrma LimonWilliam WallsRafiga MuhammadDavid FarringtonMeritorious -Full-time - AttendanceNassar Abu-KhalafGregory BranchLouis BrownAaron CainJuan CardozaElliott ChaversJames CraigBrenda DavisHouston GregoryShelton GriffinAlton HarrenHubert HayesLarry Horn
...continued from page 19
William DavidKarl DeWaalTilmon PerryAlexander PettwayR.H. RandRonald ReolleBillie RoweKeith SandsWallace SlaughterShirley ThomasWilliam TillittPatrick TurnerEarl WeingartnerPaul WhiteVan WilliamsReese WithersMeritorious -Part-time - OperationsDebbie EverettEduard() MoncadaRose ToddCarmen VagenasMeritorious -Full-time - AttendanceJames BlackstonGeorge ZumkleyNelson GrantJohn DinwiddieMeritorious -Part-time - AttendanceNo WinnersDivision 3218Outstanding - Full-timeJames T. AmosDon L. BradfordClyde CorbittJohn W. DawsonWillie DixonSharon a. EnglishJerrel J. HunterWilliam D. JordonWallace H. MooreWillie C. NorwoodRenard M. PerkinsRichard D. RandallMichael L. RansomWilliam D. ReddickAlvin A. ReidMichael L. ReidMichael L. RossHun SangCharles L. SteppesPaul CharlesOutstanding - Part -timeBobby L. StavesGeorge W. GearyThena ThomasMeritorious -Full-time - OperationsNasser Abu-KalafArthur AdamsIgnatius ArellanoCalvin AugustAlbert BaileyDonald BowmanWalter BowmanLouis BrownJoAnn BynumDonald CatherElliott Chavers
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 20
Art Types His Last Schedule
Layout Supervisor ArtIssoglio said his good-byesafter 30 years with theDistrict at the Velvet Turtlerestaurant in Chinatown onJanuary 27.
Many of his friends,family, and Print Shop andSchedules staff memberswere on hand to celebratethe moment.
Acting AssistantGeneral Manager forOperations Art Leahy toldthe audience that achieving30 years at the RTD is notan easy task. "Anyone whomakes it deserves a lot ofcredit. I want to thank you,Art," said Leahy. The actingassistant general managerpresented Issoglio with agift certificate to the Touchof Oak furniture st,ore.
Richard Dimon acted asmaster of ceremonies for theevent. Adding personalnotes of appreciation andgood wishes were MichaelLaichareonsup and DorothyBenninghoven.
Art's son Sparky paidtribute to his father at theceremony. "My impressionof my father has alwaysbeen one of perseveranceand seif- sacrifice. I havealways thought that eachmorning when I saw him getup for work and go catch hisbus."
Joe Vicente presentedArt with his own timetableand his very own bus stopsign 7591. "It took us 30years to download schedulesinto Art's varityper ma-chine. I'm just sorry hewon't be around to see it,"said Vicente.
Print Shop SupervisorCarl McKnight recountedhumorous anecdotes
Layout Supervisor Art
Issoglio and his wife Lylene
at his retirement dinner.
surrounding his worklifewith Art, but foremost, heremembered Art's fatherlyway with him when hejoined the District. "I justwant to say `thanks' Art,that meant a lot to me."
Art's wife Lylene toldthe audience of mostly RTDemployees and retirees whatit was like to be married tothe RTD. "I have some verygood memories. I feel like Iknow most of you. Mymemories include sceneslike Joe Gay bringing myhusband home when we hadan emergency with Sparky(who suffered an asthmaattack)." Lylene paid tributeto the "other woman" inArt's life, his assistant JeanWilliams, and presented herwith a gold watch. Art, in atearful farewell, thankedJean for the years ofassistance and friendship.
In his swan song, ArtIssoglio congratulated allhis supervisors who gavehim pay-for-performanceevaluations that weresuperior or better. "Icommend you on your goodjudgment. To all the rest ofyou who gave me a `Meets'or less—go to h—. Gee, thatfelt real good. I love you all.Good bye, I'm gone."
Looks Like a Good Investment
General Manager Alan Pegg opens his new share account
with the help of Credit Union Manager Chris Cairns andCredit Union Manager Hyla Howard.
General Manager Man Peggtook a few minutes out ofhis busy day to join theTransit District EmployeesFederal Credit Union inFebruary. Mr. Pegg openeda savings account with a $50minimum share deposit anda $5 fee yielding 5 percentinterest. His deposit will beautomatically deducted fromhis payroll check andcredited to his account.
This is just one of themany services offered by ourCredit Union. Makingbanking as convenient asthey can, they oller a bank-by-mail service, Sponsor
periodic car sales, providemoney orders/travelerschecks/gift checks, insur-ance, a bill payer service,checking accounts with nomonthly service charges,and QUE—an audioresponse (24 hours) avail-able for balance inquiries,transferring money from onetype of account to another,and other information youmay want just by using atouch tone phone and apersonal identificationnumber you provide. Openyour account today, it lookslike a good investment inyour future.
Disability Coverage, an important pah of aTotal Income Protection program from
the Mutual of Omaha Companies,is a good way to assure your family
long-term financial security.
For information, please call Chuck McCracken at(213) 391-8226
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 21
Replace the Terrible Three:Sugar, Fat, Salt
Four Food GroupsFruits and vegetables
Choose fresh, crisp items; 100 percent real juices;foods packed in water or their own juices.Breads and cerealsLook for whole grainsMilkSelect skim milk; low-fat cheese, and yogurtFish/Poultry/Meat and other Proteins
Stick with fish, poultry, and lean cuts;canned meats packed in water; remove skin; trim fat.
Low-fat DessertStrawberry Cream3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese1 cup frozen unsweetened whole strawberries1 cup vanilla ice milk1 teaspoon frozen, finely shredded orange peelAssorted fresh fruit (optional)Directions:
• Place cottage cheese in a blender container. Coverand blend till smooth. Add frozen strawberries, icemilk, and orange peel. Cover and blend till smooth,stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.• Pour strawberry mixture into 4 stemmed glasses andserve at once. Garnish with a small piece of fresh fruit,if desired. Makes 4 servings.Per serving
Calories 97Protein 7 gCarbohydrate 12 gFat 2 gCholesterol 8 gSodium 198 mgPotassium 163 mgTotal preparation time: 10 minutes
March isGood Nutrition MonthRemember when youmunched on fudgy cookiesdunked in whole milk justbefore your Mom or Dadtucked you into bed? Or howyou celebrated every holidaywith chips and dips, home-made candies, pies, andcakes a la mode?
We all have fondmemories of foods sharedwith family and friends. Butwhat we didn't know thenwas that many of thesetreats were loaded withsugar, fat, and salt—andthat all three can lead toobesity, health problems,and a quicker end to life.
Few of us are willing todramatically change oureating habits—it may take aheart attack to scare us intoshape. But we can makesome gradual and simplechanges that will help usfeel better, and teach ourchildren the importance ofsound nutrition.
1. Cut Back on Fat.
Fat is full of calories andusually cholesterol. Notmore than one-third of ourcalories should come fromfats. To reduce fat, eat foodsraw, steamed, poached,broiled, or baked instead offried. Find a vegetable-fatmargarine that tastes goodand use it sparingly insteadof butter. Drink skim milk.
Instead of bacon, sausage,ham, hot dogs, hamburgers,or steaks, choose fish andpoultry. Eat fresh fruit fordessert rather than pies andother hidden-fat confections.
2. Plan Balanced Meals
and Snacks.
For every meal, pick foodsfrom each of the four foodgroups (see box at right) andprepare them without a lotof added fat, sugar, or salt.
3. Shop Wisely.
If you don't keep foods fromthe Terrible Three groupsaround the house, you andyour children can't eatthem. Read labels to look forthe Terrible Three hidden inso many prepared foods.Most spaghetti sauce isloaded with sugar or cornsyrup, for example. Childrenwill select nutritious foods-all too often only if theyhave nutritious foods tochoose from. Save money,too: Fresh foods are gener-ally far less expensive thanheavily processed, vitamin-enriched, sugar-saturatedclumps.
4. Make Your Own.You know what's in yourrecipes, and it's probably notnearly so much of theTerrible Threes you'll find inprepared meals and snacks.You can even alter yourrecipes by replacing butterwith margarine, eliminatingmost of or all of the salt, and
reducing the amount ofadded sugar. By the way,sugar is sugar, whether it'shoney, molasses, or thepowdery or granulatedwhite stuff.
5. Substitute.
Your taste buds and your di-gestive system will soonadjust to better choices, andyou'll wonder how you evermanaged to swallow some ofthose gooey, greasy, grimygoodies. Low-fat frozenyogurt is a delicious alterna-
tive to ice cream. Branch outwith breads—choose wholewheat, oatmeal, pumper-nickel, corn, pita, or tortil-las. Read the cereal box andbuy only unsweetenedproducts.
Make just a few of thesechanges, and you'll findyourself feeling younger, fullof energy, and trim and fit.March is your Good Nutri-tion Month. Make healthyfoods a way of life for youand your family.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 22
Marriage Counseling:What Is It? What Good Is It? by Luanna Urie, Wellness Coordinator
Marriage Counselor: "Itseems as if everyone hasquestions about marriagecounseling. Some peoplewant to know if everyoneshouldn't work theirproblems out by them-selves." My response is asfollows: in this day and agewe consult experts. Todaypeople consult financialplanners, attorneys, gour-met cooks, physicianspecialists, architects, andso on.
Why do we think weshould handle anything ascomplex as marriage and orfamily problems withoutany assistance? Today life ismuch, much more complexand stressful and containsmore Problems than it dideven twenty-five years ago.There are more strains on acouple and/or familyrelationship that' at anyother time in history, yetmany people expect thatthey should instinctively
Bauer, Anton R., beganwith the LARY in the 1930s,passed away October 23,1987. He was an operatorand division clerk.Dietrich, Wray, began withthe District on March 2,1964, passed away onDecember 24, 1988.Jensen, Lars, began withthe District on January 22,1958, passed away Decem-ber 17, 1988.Pantera, John F., beganwith the District April 22,
know how to work it all outwithout any advice or helpfrom anyone.
Years ago a youngmarried couple could expectto live in a neighborhoodwhere everyone kneweveryone else and everyoneelse's children. There wasusually a dose affiliationwith a church. Other family
31n113
...in this day
and age we
consult experts.
members lived near by,including those from anolder generation with lifeexperiences, perspective,and wisdom to oller youngercouples and families. Manywives and mothers did nothave to work. Husbands andfathers did not have tocommute. Almost all mealswere eaten at home with
1941, passed away Decem-ber 13, 1988.Pegues, Murray, beganwith the District on Decem-
ber 18, 1958, passed awayNovember 25, 1988.Smith, Leo H., began withthe District May 29, 1935,passed away December 27,1988.Thorne, Edgar D., beganwith the District on March13, 1936, passed awayNovember 26, 1988.
everyone present, and manyfamilies even shared thenoonday meal.
Now life is different.Couples have to face moredemands and more responsi-bilities than ever before.Today, couples have fewerresources and even less timeto meet those demands.Many of us, if not most,could use a little help from athird party from time totime.
A marriage counselorcan be useful. It is veryhelpful to have an objective,professionally trainedperson assist with theinteraction between theparties. A trained marriagecounselor will help couplesand families communicatemore clearly. It is easier totalk to a loved person abouta serious problem if there isa third party present. Thethird Party or counselorensures that each side willbe fully heard and fullyunderstood. Difficult pointswill be made clear to eachperson. Couples will learn totruly listen and understandwhat the other person istrying so hard to say.
Misuhderstandings will becleared away. Many times acouple will discover amisunderstanding is at theroot of their problem. Amarriage counselor helps acouple to share theirtroubles, worries, and painwith one another. Coupleslearn to hear one another.They learn to trust oneanother. They learn to listenand understand each otherin a new and better way.
The trained, licensedprofessional marriagecounselors available to youthrough your EmployeeAssistance Program areexperts in helping couplesand families with maritaland family problems. Takeadvantage of this service.
Remember from one tothree sessions are free andthen the service will helpyou with your benefit planto make the best use of it topay for whatever counselingyou would like. This serviceis completely confidential.Just dial (800) 221-0942 andspeak with the people atEmployee Support SystemsCompany.
IN MEMORIAM
DICK GREGORY'SBAHAMIAN
DIET & CORRECTIONCONNECTION
(Safe and Nutritional)(213) 758-3813
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 23
Son GetsScholarship
Corey Rogers
The parents of Corey Rogersare proud to announce the4-year athletic scholarshipawarded their son toNorthern Arizona Univer-sity in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Adrienne Rogers, anAdministrative Analyst inthe Marketing Departmentand her husband, Bernard,thank God for Corey's
Corey is a senior
at Nogales High
School...and will be
attending NAU
in the fall...
11111111•111•11111n1
athletic ability and theopportunity of receiving aneducation at a Division 1school.
Corey is a senior atNogales High School inWest Covina and will beattending NAU in the fall,majoring in BusinessAdministration.
You've finally admitted toyourself that you don'thandle your finances wisely.Or you recognize you'readdicted to food. Or yourphysician teils you that youhave high blood pressure.Whatever your problem is,you're not alone.
Every day, thousands ofpeople come together insmall groups to help eachother deal with difficultiesincluding stress, addictions,health problems, and sim-ilar painful realities of life.
You, too, can easilybecome involved in one ofthese volunteer grapevinenetworks. There are morethan half a million self-helpgroups across the country-some tiny gatherings, otherspart of a nationwidenetwork—but in each one,the emphasis in an sharing.
You've undoubtedlyheard of AA, AlcoholicsAnonymous, one of the firstseif-help groups. Many newself-help groups are pat-terned after AA's successful12-step recovery program. Ifyou join a self-help groupthat matches your needs forsupport in a difficultsituation, what can youexpect to happen?
At first, you will sense agreat comfort just inknowing that others arestruggling with similarproblems. It's hegrtening totalk with others who haveaccepted, compensate for, orovercome their problems.Misery does love company;but wallovving in self-pity isnot the goal of these groups.
You'll also discover a
wealth of information. Self-help group members arewilling to Pool their experi-ences, make honest recom-mendations, and suggeststrategies for action. Forexample, parents of childrenwith disabilities can find outwhat to expect as their childgrows older or where to gofor the best medical helpand education. Newsletters,tapes, videos, and brochuresare commonly available.
One thing you won'tfind in a self-help group iscriticism or put-downs.People in these gatherings,understand how you feeland what you're goingthrough. They won't blameyou for your troubles, or ask
harsh questions, or treatyou with a cold shoulder.Seif-help groups will doeverything they can to makeyou feel comfortable andwelcome.
Confidentiality, respect,and encouragement are thekeys. You can proceed atyour own pace. Before youknow it, you may well findyourself using your new-found strength to offer sup-port to newcomers. That'show good self-help groupsevolve and grow.
You are not alone. Whatever your struggle, othersare facing a similar situ-ation. Locate your grape-vine, and find new resourceswithin yourself.
Seif-Help Groups:Grapevines in Action
Where to find theself-help group for you
National Self-Help Clearinghouse
25 West 43rd St., Room 620, New York, NY 10036.(212) 642-2944, Will refer you to your state clear-inghouse if one exists, or check national directoriesfor the name of a group that can respond to yourneed. Call or send a self- addressed, stampedenvelope.
New Jersey Self-Help Clearinghouse
St. Clares-Riverside Medical Center, Pocono Rd.,Denville, NJ 07834. (201) 625-7101. Publishes theTHE SELF-HELP SOURCE BOOK ($8 third-class,$9 first-class), a national listing of self-help groupsand how to form one yourself. Call or write forinformation about a seif-help group near you.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 24
Axel's Green Thumb
by Axel Heller
Fruit Trees ShadeEarly spring is the best
time to plant deciduous fruittrees and shade trees. (De-ciduous trees are those thatlose their leaves seasonally).These trees have theadvantage of providingcooling shade in the summerand allow the warming sunrays to pass through duringthe winter months aftertheir leaves have fallen.
Before purchasing atree or plant of any kind,consider the final location.Planting a tree near thehouse may, in the future,damage the drainage pipes,crack the driveway, anduplift the house foundation.Also consider whether thetree requires full sun lightor some shade. Lastly, finalgrowth size is very impor-tant. The size of the tree orplant in 10-15 years will bequite different from the sizethat it is today.
If you have limitedspace, such as a garden,dwarf fruit trees are verydesirable. The tree providessome shade in the summerand also produces fruit forthe table. The dwarfvarieties will grow from 5 to15 feet high or higher,clepending upon the typethat is selected. The mostcommon fruit trees that dowell in our climate are:plum, apricot, peach,nectarine, orange, andlemon. Apples and pearsrequire a cold spell to bearfruit, but there are somevarieties that are sold inthis area that will bear fruitwith a shorter cold spell.
These trees can bepurchased two ways, as"bare-root" or in a container.These types are easy toplant. The bare-root treesare available from Januarythrough March, but thecontainered plants areavailable all year round atyour local nursery orhardware store. Bare- roottrees are normally sold withtheir roots in a plastic wrapthat is filled with dampsawdust.
In order to plant a bare-root tree, dig a hole that willallow the roots to be spreadout evenly. This hole shouldbe slightly larger than theroot area. Loosen up the soiland mix some amendmentswith the soil and add it backinto the hole. The holeshould be deep enough tocompensate for this "back-filling." Spread the roots outevenly in the hole and makea note of the previous soillevel on the st,em. You donot want to have the newsoil level to be above thismark (there should be aslight discoloration at thispoint on the stem). Hold thetree firmly and back-fill thehole with a mixture of soilamendments and the soilthat was dug out. Tap thesoil to pack it and add moresoil mixture until the soil islevel all around the base.Then build a ring to keepthe water from running off.Soak it thoroughly.
In order to plant a treethat is in a container, suchas an orange or lemon tree,the procedure is similar to a
continued on page 26...
Someone's Trash isMy TreasureFile this story under theheading—"It Should HaveHappened To Me." SecurityGuard II Al Ratner got offwork at his usual time onJanuary 22. On his wayhome he noticed a womanlaying articles and appli-ances out on her lawn for agarage sale. Intrigued,Ratner stopped to check itout in hopes of finding somebargain.
One of the objects sheput on her lawn was anornately carved ivory vase.Ratner picked it up andasked how much it was. Thewoman who spoke onlySpanish ignored him.Ratner then asked her inSpanish how much the vasetost. She looked at him thenat the vase and said $2. Hepaid for his vase and took ithome.
It wasn't until he gothome that he noticed an oddChinese inscription on thebottom of the vase. "I fullyexpected it to say made inTaiwan or Hong Kong orsomething like that. But, no,
A $2 vase now valued at
$50,000.
this lettering was carved onthe base," Ratner said.Curious about the vase'sorigin and value Ratnershowed it to RTD Invest-ment Manager Mel Mar-quardt. Marquardt told himto go to Butterfield's, anauction house in West LosAngeles. Ratner followed upon the suggestion.
The appraiser atButterfield's made Ratneran oller of $50,000 afterexamining the vase. Not badfor a $2 investment.
Mystery BabyContestCan you recognize who thisRTD staff member is fromthis baby picture? If youknow who it is and you arethe first person to call the
Headway office you will wina complimentary prizecourtesy of the EmployeeActivities Office. Call inyour guess at 972-7165.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 25
Pvt. Crawford CompletesTraining
...Green Thumb
...continued from page 25
bare-root tree. Dig the holedeeper using the containeras a guide. Water thecontainered plant very welland then remove the plant.Loosen the root ball a littleso that the roots can spreadout and to make sure thatthe plant has not becomeroot-bound (the roots havebecome so packed togetherthat they could "strangle"the plant in the future).
For the really smallgarden, several of thedifferent varieties of fruitscan be grown in a single treeof the family by "grafting."For example, you can haveoranges, lemons andgrapefruit all on the sametree. You can also haveavocados all year round byhaving different varietiesthat fruit at different timesof the year. Grafting is doneon a "root-stock" that isresistant to diseases and a
good fruiting stock. Theseedless navel orange,reproduced in this mannerwas discovered accidentally.Next Month's Preview
When you purchase anytype of fertilizer, you willnotice that there are threenumbers that are listed onthe bag or box. Thesenumbers relate to thepercentages by weight of thethree major nutrients thatare required for propergrowth. These nutrients arenitrogen, phosphorus, andpotassium. An examplewould be 10-15-10, the firstnumber gives the percent-age by weight of the nitro-gen content, 10%; the secondis the percentage of thephosphorus content, 15%;and the third is the percent-
age of the potassiumcontent, 10%. There are
several different combina-tions, and the choice offertilizer depends on what isrequired for plant growth ofeither a green lawn or fruitsand vegetables.
Next month I willdiscuss these differentcombinations along with theother nutrients that arerequired for proper plantgrowth (there are a total of16 essential nutrients).
Axel Heller is a digital
technician with the Facili-
ties Maintenance Depart-
ment. He has a bachelor's of
science degree in park
administration /ornamental
horticulture from Cal PolyPomona.
After working 37 years forRTD, I find that I havedeveloped certain habits.Here are just some of myacquired idiosyncrasies:
1) Many times I findmyself following my old busroutes whenever I'm drivingmy car around town. If Idon't do this, get lost.
2) If I am driving mycar in an area where I usedto have a bus route a longtime ago and have forgottenthe streets, I am inclined toget lost.
3) I tend to drive in thefar right lane when drivingin my car.
4) Because I am in theright lane, I also noticepeople at the the bus stops.
5) Without thinking,twice I pulled over to a busstop, put my hand on the
Private Tiffany Crawford,the daughter of Division 18Operator Lois Crawford,visited her mother and herbrother, Larry JoshuaCrawford for the holidays.
Private Crawford is inthe U. S. Army. PrivateCrawford completed herrigorous training at FortDix, New Jersey on Novem-ber 18, 1989. During thecommencement exercise, shewas decorated with twomedals, one for sharp-shooter and the other forhand grenades. On Febru-ary 10, she left for a tour ofduty in Germany where she
passenger handle, andalmost picked up passen-gers in my own car. I alsogot a lot of weird looksfrom the people.
6) One time in my car,
"Without thinking,
twice I pulled over
to a bus stop,
put my
hand on the
passenger handle,
and almost picked
up passengers in
my own car."
Private Tiffany Crawford
will be trained in hospitaladministration.
Family and friends wishPrivate Crawford the best ofluck in her endeavors andan abundance of love.
I even stopped at a railroadcrossing before a green lightand almost got rear-ended.
7) Sometimes I use myleft leg to turn on the rightor left signals in my car likeyou do on a bus.
8) Whenever I amwatching television, Ialways notice RTD buses inthe background of someprograms.
9) I have become verytime conscious over theyears. I have 7 clocks in mybedroom, 3 in the bathroom,5 in the living room, and 2in the kitchen. They are allsynchronized by the phonetime. Naturally, I amalways on time.
10) Of course, I nevercut in front of a bus, eventhough at times they havecut me off.
OId Habits Are Hard To Breakby Forest N. Churchill, Division 15
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 26
Tommy the Shoeshine ManAcross from the DistrictHeadquarters Building onMain St. stands a fixture onthe landscape that's beenthere as long as thisreporter can recall: a modestshoeshine shelter with fourchairs for customers.Coming out of the buildingeveryday, I'd pause for thecrossing light and absentlygaze at the man's backstooped over as he shinedthe shoes of his customers.
As soon as I'd crossedthe street the image wouldfade and I'd go about mypurpose for the moment.
Recently I'd gotten myshoes repaired at the La FeShoe Repair Shop down thestreet. Walking around inmy newly patched-up shoesI noticed how dull theywere. I feit kind of guiltybecause as an ex-Army bratI had been taught to shinemy shoes every week. Ithink since I left homeumpteen years ago I'veshined my shoes once,maybe twice. Talk aboutrebellion. Anyway that'swhen I began to think aboutthe shoeshine stand acrossthe street.
I must admit that in thebeginning I was daunted bythe thought of it. I hadnever seen a woman get hershoes shined in public in mywhole life. I think I hadaccepted shoeshine standsas male bastions. But theseshoes needed shining and Iknew I'd never get around toit. So, across the street Imarched. Tentatively, Iasked the shoeshine man ifhe shined ladies' shoes. Iknow that some of you whoknow me might find thatquestion a little presumptu-
ous, but I think I wasintimidated by the threemen already seated in thestand. The shoeshine man, Ifound out is Elton Thomas.He likes to be calledTommy.
Tommy said yes to meand offered me a seat. I satnext to a plainsclothespoliceman. The cop turnedto me and said: "I've neverseen a woman get her shoesshined before." Thank youMr. Cop, I surely didn't needto feel anymore conspicuousthan I already felt.
Tommy said he hadsome woman customers, alot of them were bus drivers.He smiled up at me andsaid, "Women are a lotbetter tippers than men."My hero, I thought as Ismiled back at the cop.
Tommy, 56, wears aheavy overcoat over his bluesmock and a hat duringwinter to keep the coldaway. He has been workingon this same corner for thelast 18 years. When askedwhy Main St., Tommyanswered, "Somebody's gotto work somewhere, noteverybody can work inBeverly Hills." He has alicense and pays $300 amonth rent to keep thestand open.
Monday throughFriday, Tommy is out on thestreet from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.,and on Saturday, from 8a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tommy's the unofficialhistorian of Main St. He'sseen just about everythingthat has passed in his timehere. "This neighborhoodused to be nice, had a lot ofdass. Down the block youhad Jeffries Banknote, the
Elton "Tommy" Elton gives a
shiner to RTD Personnel
Analyst Luanna Urie.
bank across the street, theStock Exchange on SpringSt. It got slummy about 13years ago." But, one thing isfor sure, Tommy is neverbored, nor can he report anydull moments in his shop.
"It's a live movie outhere. When I go home Idon't have to turn on theTV. I've seen enough for theday," he said.
But despite the drugaddicts, drunks, prostitutes,panhandlers, and assortedcrazies that comprise ourneighborhood, Tommyreports that he is neverbothered by them. "I knowhow to handle all kinds. Igot a line for all of them.The baddest things here arethe winos, they just afraid ofrunning out of wine. Crackdealers? Don't bother me, Idon't bother them. Some-times the homeless ask mefor money, but they know Idon't go for that c—."
Tommy has hadsomewhat of a peripateticwork career. Originally fromthe Houston-area of Texasand one of 11 children,Tommy has worked in the
rice fields, supermarkets inWashington, D.C., and donefarmwork in California. Helearned to shine shoes bywatching other people.
By the end of the dayhis hands are stained by allthe colors he has used. "Iuse a mixture of ajax andlava soap to get the shoepolish off. I really take mytime to do it."
The day I got my shoesshined was InaugurationDay--January 20. Natu-rally, the conversationturned to politics. "What doyou think of Bush?" I ask.
"Bush will be ok. It's gotto get better. Can't dependon him, though, got to get itdone yourself...Republicansor Democrats, who arebetter for business? I can'thardly teil the difference, toteil you the truth."
He does remember allthe commotion the day theFirst Lady, Barbara Bush,visited the MidnightMission during the electioncampaign. Politicians arenot strangers to Tommy. Hehas done the shoes of a fewlocal notables including CityCouncilman Nate Holden,the Mexican Consul, INSRegional CommissionerHarold Ezell, and secretservice agents.
The conversation trailsoff and Tommy greets folkswho pass by on the side-walk, "How you doing?"
"Hey, que paso?"As he buffs the leather
on my shoes he restores theluster I vaguely rememberfrom the day I bought them.They look nice, presentable.I think my father would beproud. Tommy helps medown. He charges $2 forshoes and $2.50 for Boots. Ofcourse, I leave him a nicetip. –Mary Reyna
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 27
TRIBUTE
TO OUR
BusDRIVERS—composed by Anita Gabel,
a bus rider from Duarte,
California.
Here's to our Bus Drivers,Far and wide,
Who carries their cargo,With the greatest of pride.
Here's to our Bus Drivers,
What a style!!Steadily adding mile after mile.Courteous and thoughtful,
All the while,While giving service,
With a smile.
Always dependable,And, always, on time,
Putting their very liveson the line.
Here's to our Bus Drivers,
so fine and trim,Fighting a battle, they, too,
must win.
Constantly administering,to our needs,
By silently contributing,With many good deeds.
Careful and cautious,
Mile after mile,Thinking of their passengers,
all the while.
Here's to our Bus Drivers,Great their fight,
Giving Service,
Both Day and Night.Entrusted with many a life,
Each Day,Gallantly, and safely,
Go on their way.Delivering all
For, both work and play.
Medals are earned,By many a hero,
Let's pin one,
on an un-sung hero!Why have we waited,
so long to see,
What they have done,
For you and me?
It's time we recognized,
Heroes, as these,Who, daily, contribute,
to our ease.
Who constantly give,Of their souls, and worth,
Making it easier,For us, on Earth.
Deserving the finest,That we can give,
Worthy of all,For which they live.
So, 3 cheers for the Bus Drivers,And medals, galore!!
For they have earned plenty,Of them, and, more!
And, when on Earth,Their task is done,
And they stand beforeThe Almighty One;
A special place,There'll be set apart,
For God will take themTo His heart.
They'll be received
With open arms,And shielded from
All Earthly harm.
They'll hear the words,"Your task,—Well Done!
A G-R-E-A-T-E-R Medal,you have won."
"You've done for others,Everyday!"
No greater honor,can I say,"
"Enter in, you're home to stay.Where you'll be happy,
Everyday."
So, Give the Medals,
Far and Near,
While all these HeroesYet, can hear
Bouquets and Medals,
Should be given
While the Heroesare still livin.'
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 28
Restaurant Reviewby Susan Harvey, Div. 15 Asst. Manager
There are many goodChinese restaurants in theLos Angeles area, some ofthe best are in Chinatown.We are fortunate thatwithin Los Angeles all themany styles of Chinesecooking are available to us-Cantonese, Mandarin,Szechuan, Hunan, etc.
In Hong Kong dim sum
(tea cakes) are worldfamous. In both Chinatownand Monterey Park you canget some the best dim sumin the world. My favoriterestaurant for dim sum isTai Hong on North Broad-way. Tea cakes are filledwith a variety of foods suchas shrimp, chicken, beef,pork, and an unusualselection of vegetables. Theyare prepared in differentways: steamed, fried, baked,and barbequed.
What I really enjoy inChinese food is that it usesseafood in so many differentstyles of cooking. Onerestaurant that we enjoygoing to is the RegentSeafood Restaurant inChinatown, right across thestreet from Phillipe's onNorth Main Street.
The food at the Regentis excellent and affordableas well. The lunch specialsare about half the price ofdinner and good quality forthe price. The dinners areoutstanding. Let us startthe meal with soup: we likethe Seafood Special Soup or
the Winter Melon Soup
which should be ordered inadvance. The Shredded
Chicken Salad is very goodand tasty, also, we usuallylike to have the whole Crab
with Garlic Sauce and thestir-fried whole Shrimp with
Spicy Salt. Anytime thatyou see Kung Pao rememberit's spicy, it's made withpeanuts and don't eat thechile unless you want towake up your taste buds!Try the Catfish steamedwith garlic sauce. Also, thecrispy Fried Chicken is
exceptional, the skin is crispand the chicken is verymoist. Try the Minced
Squab wrapped in lettuce.Don't forget when orderingChinese food, always orderat least one vegetable dish.Depending on the seasonSnow Peas with Mushrooms
or Broccoli are good.
BOMIIIIn11
"...some of the best
are in Chinatown..."
Most of us were raisedgoing to Chinese restau-rants where you orderedpre-set dinners, so you madeno selections. If you havenever tried ordering on yourown, ask the waiter for help.If you want to try rememberone main dish per personincluding your vegetabledish and be sure to orderrice. Try to get a variety ofdishes, one chicken, oneseafood, one beef, etc. Also,don't order all spicy or allgarlic sauce, try to mix andmatch. Remember, varietyis the spiee of life.
Regent SeafoodRestaurant747 North Main St.Los Angeles, California(213) 680-3333
*****
****
**** *
RTDI 1I 2"MIES
Our Rating System
A classic; The
Philadelphia Story
Excellent; wellworth seeingAverage; s'okayFair; decidedlyflawedPoor; don't bother
BOMB —Mother Carey'sChickens; the reasonKatherine Hepburn knew itwas time to leave RKO.
Working Girl - ****One of the biggest
losses with the end of the"Golden Age" of Hollywoodwas the death of theromantic comedy. Back inthe 30's and 40's, when theHayes Code declared evenmarried couples must haveseparate twin beds, theemphasis was on the chase,not the consummation.Dialogue had to take theplace of these slow-motion,artsily lit and filmed lovescenes that are currentlypopular. You know the onesI mean.
Working Girl is arefreshing comedy thathearkens back to thoseearlier days. The plot iscontemporary, yet classic; asecretary, trying to get thebig break, goes to her bosswith an idea. After dueconsideration, she's told,"No go, but nice try, kid,"only to discover that theboss is promoting the ideaas her own. With the bossaway, the secretary decidesto do her own promotion.Presenting herself as part of
her boss' staff (which istechnically true), sheconnects with the man withwhom her boss wanted towork, and cuts the dealherself.
You have a good ideahow everything is going toturn out when you enter thetheater; you know ourintrepid heroine will make itand find true love, our Nerowill learn love is more thanclosing a deal, and the bosswill get her comeuppance.The pleasure is how it'sdone, what twists and turnsthey encounter along theway.
Melanie Griffith playsTess, a girl from working-dass Brooklyn who's gone tonight school to get herdegree, taking speechlessons to improve her oralpresentation, and keepingher eyes and ears open foranything useful. Griffithwon a Golden Globe for thisrole, and I believe shedeserves an Oscar nomina-tion. Watching Tess,listening to her, she couldeasily fit into the offices herewithout causing anycomment; in short, totallybelievable as a secretary.
I know a number ofpeople who have been FordFanatics since Star Wars.
Since then, people havecome to realize that he isactually a good actor, buthis mainstream roles havenever capitalized on thecomedic talents that areapparent in his roles as HanSolo and Indiana Jones.
continued on page 30...
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 29
...Movies...continued from page 29
Here, he's a former fast-tracker who seems to besuffering from burnout,desperately looking for thedeal that will get him backon top. When Tess hooks upwith him, he likes her idea,but isn't too sure about hermethods, especially whenthey crash a wedding tomeet with someone. It's afine performance, and willhopefully inspire somepeople to find more like itfor him.
The other member ofthe triangle is probably alsogoing to be an Oscarcontender, although notnecessarily for this role.Sigourney Weaver movesfrom the drama of Gorillas
in the Mist to the role of "theboss from Hell." She'scharming, smooth, andconvinces you that she'syour friend even as shestabs you in the back. I'vehad bosses like this (No, Ed,not right now).
I'm recommending thisone highly. It was funny,fast- moving, and entertain-ing. It's just the type ofmovie I wish they'd makemore often.
Dangerous Liaisons -**-1/2
I thought for a whilebefore giving this movie thatrating. For three quarters ofthe film, I found it enter-taining and witty. Then theymucked it up. Much hasbeen made of Glenn Close'sperformance here, and withgood reason. Although sheplays an eighteenth centuryFrench marquise, there's nofeeling with her that this isa period piece. She has aplum role as a manipulatorand schemer, and she does
it wonderfully, while puttingthe audience firmly in hercourt. And that is theprimary reason to see thisfilm.
Based upon both a stageplay and a novel, DangerousLiaisons is the age-old storyof the battle between thesexes, and between virtueand vice. A marquise,seeking revenge upon aformer lover who jilted her,asks another former lover tohelp her by seducing theconvent-raised girl the firstlover intends to take to wife.Her co-conspirator repliesthat the idea is too easy, notworthy of his talents, andoffers another bargain; he'sgoing to seduce a marriedwoman famed for her virtue.If he does so, and gets proofin writing, the marquise willgrant him one night withher. She agrees, and he setsabout it, managing to seducethe virgin along the way.
Now, you know with asetup like this, someone isbound to get hurt, but thereis a moment when the playshifts from a combination offarce and drama to simplemelodrama. Almost every-one dies, with last wordsthat say that this is thepunishment for their sins.The marquise is exposed,and becomes a socialoutcast. Severe depression. Iknow the filmmakers weretrying to say somethingabout life, love, and virtue,but it got lost in the death-bed confessions and expo-sures. I'd actually recom-mend you might want towait for the video to comeout on this one; don't paythe money for the theater.
For those of you who'vealready seen the film, andwere disappointed as I bythe ending, take heart. Evennow, John Milius is finish-
ing his own version of thetale which will hit thetheaters later this year. Thedifferences between the twointerpretations should beinteresting.
Time for Oscar predic-tions. Once again, this isbeing written before nomi-nations are even announced,so I'm shooting in the dark.I've had a pretty good trackrecord though, but not thatmuch has struck me thisyear as true Oscar potential.Here are a few suggestions,though, of who I'd like tosee.
Rain Man will probablyget the Best Picture nod. It'sthe type of film the Academylikes, although comedieslike Working Girl and Who
Framed Roger Rabbit atleast deserve a nod. DustinHoffman will probably cophis second Oscar for his roleas the autistic savant inRain Man, and with goodreason. For Best Actress,Sigourney Weaver andMelanie Griffith may gohead to head, as both wonGolden Glabes, Griffith forcomedy, Weaver for Drama.On the other hand, theymay cancel each other out.The one I feel most stronglyabout this year is BestSupporting, for whichMartin Landau deserves atleast a nomination for hisfine work in Tucker. He's avery talented actor who'sbeen severely underrated allthese years.
That's it for this month,and for the Oscars. Sum-mer's just around the cor-ner, and it's going to be a bigone this year: Star Trek V,Ghostbusters II, BeverlyHills Cop III, Indiana Jonesand the Last Crusade, andthose are just releases fromParamount Studios. Also,Gone With the Wind is fifty
years old this year, and wellbe looking at what manyconsider the finest exampleof the Hollywood style.
Be seeing you —Carolyn Kinkead
The Classifieds
The following guidelines willassist you in placing an adin the Headway.* ALL COPY MUST BECAMERA READY:In other words, what yousee is what you get!* DEADLINE;The deadline for ad copy isthe lst of the month. ( Thatis June lst for the Julyissue, July I st for theAugust issue, etc.) Copyreceived after the deadlinewill be published in thefollowing issue unlessotherwise notified. SENDEARLY! Advertising spaceis limited at this time.* FULL PAYMENT MUSTACCOMPANY ALL ADCOPY
Make checks payable to:SCRTD and send to:Headway, 425 S. Main St.,Los Angeles, CA 90013.Advance ad paymentslimited to current submittedad plus one month. Theeditor reserves the right torefuse any ad.
ADVERTISING RATESFull Pg $160 (7-3/8 X 9-5/8)Half Pg $80 (4-3/4X 7-1/4horizontal) or (3-5/8 x 9- 5/8vertical)Qtr Pg $40 (3-5/8 X 4-3/4)8th Pg $20 (2-3/8 X 3-5/8business card)Classified ads sent by non-employees are accepted at acost of $3.75 per line permonth. RTD employees' andretirees' classified ads willcontinue to run free.
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 30
Money in 10 DaysAs a homeowner you can have $17,500 in 10 Days
• Homeowners New and Old!!• Landscaping• Remodeling
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Real Estate LoansNow's the time to finance or refinance and save thousands of dollars$$$$
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Free Consultation & Information•Home Improvement Loan •Bill Consolidation Loan •1st & 2nd Real Estate LoansFixed & Adjustable •Free Real Estate Loan Evaluation •Free Referral Service to
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Financing For Commercial & Residential • FHANA/Conventional
EAGLE MORTGAGE BANKERS530 E. Alosta • GIendora • (818)914-2796
For SaleHome for sale by owner inLa Puente-3 bedrooms, 1-3/4 baths, and 1,600 sq. ft.Formal living room, diningroom, den w/brick fireplace,big country kitchen withbreakfast bar, utility roomfor washer/dryer. 2-cargarage, patio, rear sprinklersystem, fruit trees, blocksand box, and jungle gymfor kids. Asking $158,900.Call Steve Page at (818)330- 4312.
5-Piece Dinette. Table and 4chairs. $40 or best of er.Call B. Brunson at (213)386-5842 at night or (213)381-2600 days.
RECREATIONNEWS
March16 Lazers vs. Baltimore - Forum - $6.00 Senate Seats17 Clippers vs. Charlotte - Sports Arena
$13.00 tickets for $1119 Lakers vs. Atlanta - Colonnade - $8.5024 Lazers vs. Kansas City - Forum - $6.00 Senate Seats31 Lazers vs. Dallas - $6.00 Senate Seats
April2 Lakers vs. Milwaukee - Colonnade $11.50
4 Clippers vs. Boston - Sports Arena$13.00 Concourse tickets for $11.
8 Lazers vs. Kansas City - Forum - $6.00 Senate Seats9 Lazers vs. Tacoma - Forum - $6.00 Senate Seats10 Lakers vs. Clippers - Colonnade - $11.5015 Lazers vs. Wichita - Forum - $6.00 Senate Seats18 Lakers vs. Denver - Colonnade - $11.50
We carry all of the following movie tickets—discountedfor you movie-goers:AMC - $3.00, AVCO General Cinema - $3.50, Edwards -$3.50, Edwards - Azusa - $2.50, Mann's - $3.50, Pacific -$3.50, Pacific Drive- In - $4.00, United Artists - $3.50These reflect all recent price changes.
See's Easter Assortment Candies are an sale at dis-counted prices at the EA office, beginning March 6th. B-I-I-GSAVINGS!
MAGIC MOUNTAIN SPECIAL March 18 - 26 and everyweekend in April for just $9.95.
Dodgers
March 30 - Angels - Calendar NightApril 14 - Houston - Fireworks NightApril 15 - Houston - World Series Ring DayApril 19 - Cincinnati - Fielders GloveApril 23 - San Francisco - Pin Day #1
Reserved Seats - $6.00
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 31
Brand new
apartments
from only
$665
•
Two great reasons to put yourself in our place.Skyline Terrace offers the best of both worlds with
its spectacular views and resort-like amenities, blended witheasy access to Los Angeles business, cultural and social life.
Upton Living. Dontown Con ► emence• •
Southern CaliforniaRapid Transit District425 So. Main St , 2nd FloorLos Angeles, CA 90013
BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGE
PAIDLos Angeles, Ca.Permit No. 32705
• Unique one, one + den and two bedroom/twobath floorplans, many with double master suites
• Individual washers and dryers
• Closed circuit TV entry system in each unit• Controlled-access entry with private under-
ground parking • Patios or balconies• Swimming Pool and therapeutic spa• High Tech fitness center with saunas
and showers • Party/Conference Room• Lush interior gardens including a special
meditation courtyard
Skyline Terme930 Figueroa Terrace
Los Angeles2131481-7368
Decorator models open 9-6 daily.
Sorry, no pets. An Fifa Managed Property
HEADWAYPublished monthly for the employees and
retirees of the Southern California Rapid TransitDistrict.
Editorial input and suggestions are welcome.Deadline for receipt of editorial copy is the firstday of each month. Send black-and-white photo-graphs only. Requests for photographic coverageof District events must be preceded by 72 hoursnotice.
Mailing address: Headway, 2nd Floor, 425South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013.
Mary E. Reyna, EditorBusiness Manager: Carolyn Frazier
Staff Writers:Elia Hager,
Carolyn Kinkead,and Luanna Urie
Typesetting, design, and production:Nancy Niebrugge Public Relations
Printed by: RTD Printing DepartmentAl Moore, Manager
MARCH 1989 HEADWAY 32