Transit Times Volume 7, Number 5E

8/9/2019 Transit Times Volume 7, Number 5E

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{}For the 800d of Your COi'l1mlrln/irv

Vol. 7 No. 5E OAKLAND, SEPTEM BER, 1964

Girls, Music and Balloons IntroducefShop-a-Round' Pass to San LeandroDowntown San Leandro shopperswere invited to stop walking and startriding "for free" this month as the district's "Shop-a-Round" pass was introduced to the city in a flurry of free balloons, pretty girls, a specially decoratedbus and lively music.The peppy introduction was planned

by the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce, the Merchants Association andthe district to let residents know theycould enjoy unlimited downtown ridingon AC Transit buses from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.for the payment of one fare.Boundaries of the pass in San Leandro include East 14th St., and Washington Ave., between Dutton Ave. and Blossom Way or Marina Blvd.A bus, with pennents and large posters on each side announcing the pass,

traveled through the area with the chamber's Sunshine Sweethearts and a groupof accordionists. While the "bandplayed," the girls got out at each busstop along East 14th St. to hand out balloons, imprinted with the pass insignia.The bus also stopped at the Plaza, wherea combo provided added tuneful background.

Two women drivers from Seminarydivision, Adele Barauskas and NeysaHarford, took part, serving as special ambassadors to hand out "smile" cards toresidents, along with information aboutthe pass and other district data.

The women, dressed in special uniforms, spent Rve days in the San Leandrocentral area, on their information "mis- .sion" and were rewarded with enthusias-(Continued on Page 12)

FIESTA-Teaming up withSunshine Sweethearts toi n t rod u c e "Shop-aRound" were San Leandro civic leaders, fromleft, Edmund Simonich,Mel Barnett and W. J.Bettencourt, transit director.


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Full Speed Ahead for United CrusadeDistrict workers, experienced in working with people and understanding theirneeds, are expected to send this year's

United Crusade "over the top" with 100.per cent participation an d a victory overa boosted quota.The joint campaign staged by the dis

trict and Division 192 of the Carmen'sUnion was launched this month at a"Kick Off" dinner at the Athens Club,with representatives of the different departments getting together to plan anearly start on the annual coordinatedcrusade.

Jack Chapman, United Crusade speaker and an executive with the KaiserFoundation Medical Care program inOakland, spoke on the record goal of thecampaign in this "Year of Decision,"stressing that it was much better to takecare of children in need of help nowthan to wait until they become wards ofsociety in later life.

will benefit from the Crusade, on thejob during the Alaska earthquake.John F. Larson, treasurer controller,again heads the district effort. Also taking

part in the "Kick Off" were K. F . Hensel,general manager; Vern Stambaugh, president of the Carmen's Union; Alan L.Bingham, public relations an d advertising manager, an d Lillian Texdahl of theUnited Crusade staff.Representing the transportation department were: G. L. Modjeski, DaleGoodman, Joan Bonnetta, N. P. Alevizos ,Cecil Hipsley, T. P. McLean, C. M.Walker. Maintenance was represented byA. R. Lucchesi, Joe Enos, Dave Rodrigues; Stores, by John Krajcar; the General Office, by W. G. Skilling, vice chairman. The union also was represented byLou Bailey, vice president.

The district, which conducts its campaign on th e basis of greater participationby employees, rather than on amountspledged, will try to beat the 1963 tally ofThe campaigners also saw a film of 88 per cent participation and 1962's total

the Red Cross, one of the agencies which of over 91 per cent.SOMEBODY PAYS-Jack Chapman, left, speaker at AC Transit's United Crusade Kick-Off dinner, gives information and pledge cards to campaign leaders, including, leftto right, John F. Larson, chairman; Lou Bailey, representing the Carmen's Union; K. F.Hensel, general manager of the district, and Vern Stambaugh, union president.

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Somebody payshen you don't

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Second Driver Takes Over Fireman's JobAnothel Richmond operator has joined

the "volunteer firemen's brigade" byjumping from his bus to help douseRames on a burning vehicle before itcould explode.Second driver in a row from the samedivision to act quickly and efficiently ina similar emergency, Francis C. Armijo,42, of 1145 Washington Ave., Albany,performed his "good deed for the day"while driving a Line 33 Express fromBerkeley into Oakland.Approaching University Ave. on Shattuck, he smelled smoke, checked his ownequipment, then noticed a frozen foodtruck with smoke pouring from underneath. As he pulled alongside, the smokeburst into Rames-dangerously close tothe fuel line.Armijo, no stranger to being "underfire," stopped an d asked the other driverif he had a fire extinguisher. When theman answered "no," the operator brokeout his own extinguisher, jumped fromthe bus and took over. The two managed

IN MEMORIAMDeath has come to three transit veterans, including Anthony W. Asvitt, 85,

whose service dated back to early daysof "Key Route" operations.Mr. Asvitt, who died August 5, wentto work May 31, 1907, serving on streetcars and buses before he was pensionedin 1945. He lived at 1835 67th Ave.,Oakland.Levi E. Rupp, who was almost 72, diedon August 1. A street car an d train operator, he entered service in 1924 and retiredin 1958. His home was at 3930 ShafterAve., Oakland.

Ewing E. Allen, 76, who died in ahospital after a long illness, was an earlymotor coach operator, going to work in1925 and retiring from Seminary divisionin 1953.

to quickly put out the fire and Armijowas on his way again.The "operation," according to his re

port, took less than two minutes and theexpress arrived in Oakland on time.A driver with AC Transit since 1961,Armijo is known to his fellow operatorsas "Army Joe"- for good reason .A retired Army captain and riRe company commander, Armijo was captured

F. C. Armijo

during World Wa rI I when he waswoun de d on th eAnzio beachhead.Liberated after 14months as a prisonerof war, he returnedto fight again-serving in Africa, Sicily,Korea. He has thePurple Heart an dBronze Star medals-and 22 years and nine months of activeArmy service behind him.His latest experience "under fire" oc

curred a month after a fellow driver,O. G. Rios, rescued a professor's wife andfour young children from a burning caron University Ave., and then similarlypu t out the Rames.Richmond Wins Top

Maintenance HonorsThe maintenance department at theRichmond division was taking bowsalong with coffee and doughnuts-thismonth for setting a record of 24,l53 milespe r road call in August-highest tally indistrict history.

As a result of their effort, the Richmondmechanics took possession of the traveling road call trophy, which had spentJuly in a glass case at the SeminalY division.

The contest to encourage mechanics todo such a good job that repeat calls willbe avoided and possible mechanical troubles prevented, was started in 1962.

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,.. THE COMMITTEE-The allimportant men in chargeof the second annual ACTKey Level Club picnic included, from left, JohnChapman, Bruce Plympton, Lou Alward, C. M.Walker, John Larson, VernStambaugh, N. P. Alevizos. Shown in photo atright are some results oftheir effort.

Fun Time at ACT-Key Level Club Picnic"Shop Talk," both old and new, was

the order of the day as members, familiesan d friends of the ACT-Key Level Clubrallied around the picnic tables at Di-mond Park this month for a tasty barbecue , an afternoon of games an d happyreminiscences.

The Masonic club, organized De c. 21,1915, was reactivated by district membersin 1960 an d has been thriving since, withsocial and organizational activities.Mor e than 150 turned out for the sec-

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ond annual picnic, with their "eatingtools" and a healthy appetite for a cat ere ddinner supplied by the club. Along witha get-together for working members , th epicnic provided a chance to meet againwith many of the transit veterans of thepast-who ad ded a flavor of memory withsome lively stories on train and street caroperations.

C. M. "Johnnie" Walker, club president , had a noteworthy committee incharge, including N. P. Alevizos, Lou

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BIG DEAL-There's always time for "cards"-i n this case RichardStallard, former traindirector, and his wifeon left; Gordon Robertson, retired chiefsignal engineer, andCecil Wiseman, assistant dispatcher, andfamily.Alward, John Larson, Gordon Robertson,Vern Stambaugh and George Walden,who was ill, bu t had a substitute in BrucePlympton.

Appropriately , the merrymakers in-

SHOP TALK-A lot oftransit history-andmatching memories-isrepresented by theseveterans, from left: Arthur Noorda, Don Potter, Chris Anderson, LesMinear.

cluded D. J. Potter, transportation manager, whose father, J. P. Potter, firstsuperintendent of the Key Route, alsoserved as first president of th e club, thenknown as Key System Level Club.

IN THE SACK-WhaYsa picnic without kidsand without a sackrace? Children of district employees line upfor start of races.

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THE CHAMPS-Teammembers, who won softball trophy, include, fromleft, standing: Leroy Jackson, H_ L. Jones, M. D.Alexander, Sam Turner,Mike Hull, Walter Anderson, G. T. Jacobs, DavidThompson. Kneeling:Lawrence Brady, H. A.Carney, W. C. Smith, Lon-nie Ford, A. L. Porter.Others were working.

Emeryville Drivers' 'Tag' Softball TrophyAny talk from drivers at the Emeryvilledivision about "blaze it in" or "beat it out"is strictly baseball, and proof that a bunchof amateurs can really "tag one" and walkoff with a first place trophy.The operators, ranging in age from "41on down," pu t themselves together in asoftball team this spring, under the urging of A. L. Porter, who plays and actsas business manager.Sponsored by "AI's Automotive Service," they ended the season in first place

in their division in the Summer SoftballLeague of the Oakland Recreation Department.

Boosted into harder competition as a

result of their win, they started the fallseason in good form, bu t with no time forcrossed fingers. Most of them have tohurry, as it is, to make it from their runto Greenman Field at 66th Ave. and East14th St., Oakland, in time for theirWednesday night games.

The team, which practices Sundaymornings at DeFremery Park, includes:G. L. Thomas, J. J. Mullen, W. L. Thompson, M. M. McMillan, W. C. Smith, Lawrence Brady, Walter Anderson Jr., DavidThompson Jr., A. L. Lemons, M. D. Alexander, Leroy Jackson, Lonnie Ford Jr.,David Taplin, H. L. Jones, G. T. Jacobs,H. A. Carney, and non-drivers Sam Turner and Mike Hull.

Welcome to Ranks for New EmployeesWelcome was in order for the following new employees, hired in August:

Emeryville DivisionTransportation: Harold Voege, 2479Le Conte Ave., Berkeley, mai l messenger,vacation relief.Automotive: Shirley Schrock, 42664Ravensbourne Park St., Fremont, juniorclerk, vacation relief.Maintenance: Hersey Harris, 130790thAve., Oakland, service employee B.Bus Operators: F. D. Bell, 215 PaxonAve., San Francisco; J. M. Mungovan,4819 Clayton Rd., Concord; L. D. Woody,8

2211 San Antonio Ave., Alameda.Richmond DivisionBus Operators: A. B. Greeves, 2060Junction Ave., EI Cerrito; V. R. Hewitt,3152 11th St., San Pablo.Seminary DivisionMaintenance: Larry Marshall, 326 ViaLucero, San Lorenzo, service employee A.Bus Operators: Emeterio Lopez, 2684Bryant St., San Francisco; O. E. Spicer,3344 18th St., San Francisco; V. G. Bastin, 28891 Venus St., Hayward; D. C.Ainslie, 32186 Carroll Ave., Hayward;D. K. Lantz, 5464 St. Marks Ave.,Newark.

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, ,AC Transit is proud to reprint below a few of the many letters of commendationreceived during the month -letters unsolicited from residents of the East Bay who

are owners of the transit system. Letters were selected at random to represent thequality of courtesy, service and safety demonstrated by AC personnel in their mostimportant relationship with our customers.I have just concluded 10 months atUniversity of California obtaining mymasters degree and I commuted to the

University from San Francisco on yourbuses almost every day in that period oftime. I just wanted you to know howmuch I enjoyed the commuting, howcourteous your employees are , and best ofall, the excellent service that you offer . ..Gilbert McNameeSan Francisco

I would like to tell you about one ofyour drivers (R. F. LEDWARD) of whomyou can be proud . . . he is very accommodating and it really is a pleasure toask him to call one's destination .. .Mrs. Anna SchneiderSan Francisco

This is to tell you of one of the mostconsiderate public employees I have everencountered in my daily travels, on bayand bus systems. I was on my way toAlbany from San Francisco bus terminal. . . it was my first trip over at that (rushhour) time . . . finally the driver 0. W.ROSE) I wish to praise explained so verynice, in a way I will never forget, how togo where I wanted to go. Please, do givehim the credit he so richly deserves . . .

Jeannette NeilsonSan FranciscoAs a customer and regular commuteron the "C" Piedmont line, I want to com

mend THOMAS MURRAY for his excellentand courteous service. It has been a

pleasure to have him as our driver thesepast months . . . we always feel safe inhis hands. I t is always refreshing to begreeted with a cheery "good morning" inthe early hours each day-it starts thingsout well. Mrs. George Butt

PiedmontIt is a pleasure to report about two ofyour excellent drivers (M. E. TORREVIL-

LAS and WALTER BERGMAN) . . . both ofthese operators are careful and courteousdrivers. Both are always cheerful andready to help all their passengers withcourteous replies to inquiries about information . Mrs. F. W . WilliamsAlameda

I am 80 years old and traveled a million miles in my business career beforeretiring. I took a bus .. . driver (A. W.BARKER) .. was so outstanding . .. humanknew nearly all on bus and one of thebest drivers I have ever me t . . .

Herb GoldsmithSan Francisco. . . express my appreciation in behalfof bus drivers (D . C. GOLDEN and B. C.

GURECKI) . . . I am still going for shoulderand back treatments .. . and have askedthem to kindly come close to the curb . . .they are always very thoughtful and cooperative and never fail to do so . ..Mrs. Lillian WalkerSan Francisco

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ON THE HOUSE-K. F. Hen-sel, general manager ofAC Transit, shares a coffeeand doughnuts treat withMrs. Yukio Mizota at aparty christening the dis-trict's newest passengershelter. James Miraglia,San Leandro civic leader,acts as chef.

Toast to New San Leandro Bus ShelterA surprise treat of "coffee and doughnuts on the house" was served to earlymorning bus commuters to officiallychristen the district's newest passengershelter at Davis St. and Douglas Dr . inSan Leandro.The snack was served at the modernistic shelter during the peak morning hoursto approximately 100 commuters, whouse the transfer point to board the Line

30 express to Oakland or the transbayLine R to San Francisco.William J. Bettencourt, San Leandro'srepresentative on the transit board ofdirectors, K. F. Hensel, general manager,and D. J. Potter, transportation manager,were on hand to add their welcome-andenjoy the treat. James Miraglia of SanLeandro donned a chef's hat and apronto handle the serving honors from aspecially set table.

The only sa d looks came from passengers al ready on the buses. They couldonly watch in envy as the coaches rolledup to the street shelter, took aboardmunching passengers and rolled outagain.10

The 18-foot-long shelter replaces anearlier "pilot model" and offers weatherprotection almost to the curb. It waserected in line with district plans forsimilar shelters at other transfer points.Veterans Take Pension

William M. Castlebary, bus driver,supervisor and union official, will beleaving a long record of service when heretires Oct. l.Castlebary, who lives at 1044-B 45thSt., Emeryville, started as a bus driverin 1941 and has worked since as an operator, in the schedule department, as asupervisor and , during a leave of absencefrom 1951 to 1963, as financial secretaryof the Carmen's Union, Division 192.Since March, 1963, he has been in theemployment office.Pensioned Sept. 1 was William H.Dobbs, Jr., 1465 168th Ave., San Leandro,who started as a rail operator in 1943 andtransferred to motor coach service in1948. He also served as assistant dispatcher in 1951-52.

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AC / transit PASSENGER REVENUE .. . COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEAR1.180 .0001,160,000 -t - L1,140,0001,120 ,0001,100,0001,080, 0001,060,0001,040,0001,020,0001,000,000 -+ -

980,000 r- -I-960 ,000 + - -+-940 ,000 t- --+-920 ,000 + ---+900,000 t +880,000 I

-t - -1964 -+-- - L1-------l- r- 1963-+ r 1962:i ai ci ci >- .... 0.. -. u..

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ACTIONS OF THE BOARDAt an adjourned regular meeting Au

gust 26, 1964, the Board of Directors: Endorsed 1964 United Bay Area Crusade fund raising campaign and urgeddistrict employees to participate to fullestextent possible, on motion of DirectorMcDonnell. Authorized Vice President Coburn,Directors Berk and Rinehart, and General Manager Hensel to represent districtat annual meeting of American TransitAssociation and also to inspect transitfacilities in Toronto, on motion of Direc-tor McDonnell. .At the regular meeting September 9,1964, the Board of Directors: Retained DeLeuw, Cather & Com

pany of San Francisco as consulting engineers for a 12-month period at a fee notto exceed $4,800, on motion of Vice President Coburn. Adopted self-insurance program forworkmen's compensation liability effective October 1, and voted to give furtherstudy regarding services of a compensation management firm and amount ofexcess coverage on compensation claims,

". on motion of Vice President Coburn.Payment Made on BondsA third payment of principal and interest, totaling $924,943, has been madeon district bonds, reducing the balanceto $14,625,000, according to a report

made to directors by John F . Larson,treasurer-controller. The original amountof the bond issue, which was approvedby the voters at a special election in October, 1959, was $16,500,000.Alameda-Contra Costa Transit DistrictLatham Squat:e BuildingOakland, California 94612

Pu blished monthly by theALAMEDA-CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICTLatham Square Building 508 Sixteenth StreetOakland , California 94612 Telephone 654-7878

BOARD OF DIRECTORSROBERT M. COPELAND . PresidentDirector at LargeWILLIAM H. COBURN, JR . . Vice PresidentWard IRAY H. RINEHARTWILLIAM E. BERK .JOHN McDONNELL .WM. J. BETTENCOURT .E. GUY WARREN

Director at largeWard IIWard II IWard IVWord VADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS

KENNETH F. HEN SEL General ManagerROBERT E. NISSET . . . AttorneyJOHN F. LARSON . Treasurer-ControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR. . _ . . SecretoryALAN L BINGHAM . Public Information Manager

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Fiesta Presents Pass(Continued from Page 1)tic welcomes from store owners and 'shoppers anxious to try the pass_

The pass has been available in downtown Oakland since last March.To boost its success, leaflets explaininghow the pass works were distributed bydowntown San Leandro stores, posterswere displayed in windows, and somestores were including the information inbillings to customers.

Arthur Bullis, president of the SanLeandro merchant group, also recommended that members include a noticein their regular newspaper advertisingcalling attention to the "Shop-a-Round."

Directing the "fiesta" for the chamberof commerce was Antone Pavack, chairman of the transit committee.

SULK RATEU.S. POSTAGEPAID

Return Requested GOODWlN SAMMEL U.S Permit No . 2105Oakland, Calif.2018 CHANNING WAYB E R K E ~ E Y 4, CALIF .

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Transit Times Volume 7, Number 5E