NORTH HOLLYWOOD

18-MILE DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES-WILSHIRE-FAIRFAX-NORTH HOLLYWOODRAIL RAPID TRANSIT LINE

UNIVERSAL CITY

HOLLYWOOD BOWL

FRANKLINAVE. j STATION LOCATION

HOLLYWOOD BLVD.

SUNSET BIM

SANTA MONICA BLVD

VERLYBLVD.

UNION STATION

WILSNIRE BLVD.

CIVICCENTER

) 5114 4BROADWAY

DOWNTOWNLOS ANGELES

IMMOMOMMIInnn

Southern California Rapid Transit District

----111EdU)1111AY"Volume 6, Number 8

August 1979

Regional core subway proposal movesone step closer to reality at public hearings

early a dozen rapid transitproposals critical to Los Angeles'future were discussed during aseries of RTD-sponsored publichearings the second week in July.

Federal, state, county and LosAngeles City officials, along withmembers of the RTD Rapid TransitEngineering Department, havebeen involved for two years in astudy whose results were consi-dered during the hearings.

Called a Transit AlternativesAnalysis and Environmental Im-pact Statement, the report spellsout 11 different plans including rail-bus and all-bus alternatives for im-proving mass transit in the Region-al Core, the 55-square mile areaencompassing downtown LosAngeles, the Wilshire area, Holly-wood and North Hollywood.

Last October, the RTD Board ofDirectors gave preliminary en-dorsement to one of the alterna-tives. That proposal calls for con-Miction of an 18-mile rapid transitWter line which would connect and civic leaders at the first hear- (owners of Universal Studios), LosUnion Station in downtown Los ing, held in the San Fernando Angeles Valley College in VanAngeles and North Hollywood via a Valley. Nuys, and various civic organiza-route beneath Wilshire Boulevard, Among those supporting the so- tions.Fairfax Avenue, the vicinity of the called Wilshire Corridor Subway "No tax increases or new taxCahuenga Pass and terminating at were Los Angeles City Mayor Tom would be required to finance thisLankershim and Chandler boule- Bradley, Councilwoman Pat Rus- plan, estimated to cost $1.2 billionvards. sei, U.S. Congressman Barry in 1978 dollars," RTD Board Presi-

Considerable favorable support Goldwater, Jr., and spokesmen for dent Marvin Holen, who chairedwas lent the District by city political the Music Corporation of America the hearings, told the gathering. (Continued from page 2)

The plan also received consider-able support from California Gov-ernor Jerry Brown, whose recentlysigned $1.8 billion, five-year masstransit and alternative energy plancalls for construction of such asystem.

"The RTD's preliminary analysisindicates that local funding is nowvirtually assured," said Holen ofthe energy bill. "Before it will supp-ly Los Angeles with the 80 per centfunding it has in other cities forsuch a project, one of the prelimin-ary requirements of Washington isthe assurance of the 20 per centlocal funding match."

All interested citizens and civicgroups have been encouraged tocomment on the 11 alternativespresented at the hearings andhave been given until August 12 todo so.

In addition to the Board-endorsed plan are four proposalswhich call for some variation on the18-mile subway, generally dealingwith shorter routes (down to eightmiles). Other alternatives call foran aerial busway along the sameroute as the subway, reservation ofthe center lanes on Wilshire andon La Brea for buses only, onereversible, median peak period ex-press bus lane along Eighth and

Flamenco dancergamers Ms. RTD titleAntoinette Lopez of Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley, a profes-

sional Flamenco and Spanish Classical dancer, has been named Ms.RTD for Summer of 1979.

Lopez, who travels around Los Angeles via five RTD bus lines betweenwork, school and leisure activities, will receive a monthly pass for each ofthe three months that she holds the title. The RTD passes are valued atapproximately $150 and enable Antoinette to ride any of the District'smore than 200 lines during her reign, which ends in September.

The third RTD patron selected for the honor, Lopez will also receive alarge photographic portrait of herself which will be displayed an some1,500 buses traveling throughout the 185 cities and communities servedby the District.

A member of two dance troupes, Antoinette was one of the many RTDcustomers representing a cross section of Los Angeles area bus riderswho submitted their applications in connection with the Ms. RTD contest.

"I have lang been a supporter and user of the bus system," said Lopez."However, I became even more aware of the convenient, inexpensivevariety of services offered by RTD during the recent energy crisis. As aresult of that experience, RTD has become my main source of transporta-tion."

In addition to her professional pursuits, Lopez teaches dance classes inSanta Barbara an weekends and is also interested in sewing, reading,cooking and horseback riding.

"Antoinette Lopez is another example of the fine, energy-consciouspassengers who take RTD regularly," said RTD Board President MarvinL. Holen. "She is expected to make an excellent representative for theDistrict during the summer months, because of her knowledge of theregular and special services RTD offers. lt is a pleasure to bestow the titleof Ms. RTD of Summer 1979 upon her."

LENDING SUPPORT—Los Angeles City MayorTom Bradley (far right) was the lead-off witness atthe first of six public hearings dealing with rapid

transit alternatives in the city. Top-ranking localgovernment officials lent their support to a Board-endorsed subway system.

Career success salutedAs the saying goes, many are

called but few are chosen. And,each month,a panel of RTD em-ployees must get together andselect those three employeeswho have distinguished them-selves from among the dozenswho are nominated.

Garnering Employee of theMonth honors for May wereTelephone Information OperatorTeresa Quijas, Division 15 oper-ator Marie Thompson and Divi-sion 18 mechanic Lisandro Mar-tinez.

Teresa is one of many infor-mation operators who havefaced the tremendous task ofhandling the record number ofinformation requests the Districthas been receiving daily in thewake of the gasoline shortageand the resulting increase inridership. She has distinguishedherself as one of the more pro-ductive operators, maintainingan above average call count.

To use the words of her su-pervisor, "Teresa is a conscien-tious employee and a pleasureto work with." This marks Tere-sa's second recognition as anoutstanding employee since shecame to work for the District inOctober, 1975. She was Infor-mation Operator of the Month inMay, 1977.

Marie Thompson has been anoperator with the District for 28years and in that time hasearned a 23-year safety award

pin, has never had a missoutand maintains a maximum of 60merits.

And those are just her routineaccomplishments.

Marie is the first female oper-ator to earn Employee of theMonth recognition since Augustof 1976. The mother of onedaughter and grandmother tothree children, Mrs. Thompsonis the wife of recently retiredoperator Biven Thompson, whoalso worked out of the Sun Val-ley operating division. Biven reißtired in January with an almosfwidentical service record toMarie's.

Mechanic-A Lisandro Mar-tinez has worked for RTD sinceJanuary, 1974. He was selectedas Maintenance Employee ofthe Month for a number ofreasons. He is an outstandingmechanic and very helpful intraining younger mechanics ontrouble shooting coach prob-lems and proper maintenanceprocedures.

He has maintained an excel-lent attendance record, he ispunctual and his attitude is con-dusive towards getting the jobdone regardless of the time in-volved or the nature of the repairneeded.

He has proven that he canaccept leadership when it isgiven to him and all the men inthe division respect him be-cause of his experience.

THE CHOSEN—Director Charles Storing (left) presents certificatesto Marie Thompson, Teresa Quijas and Lisandro Martinez. Lookingon are Division 15 Transportation Manager George Marsala, Mana-ger of Customer Relations Bob Williams and Division 2 MaintenanceManager William Spencer.

Page 2

subway(Continued from page 1)

Olympic or two exclusive curb buslanes on Wilshire and La Brea. Theother alternatives call for simplyimproving the present service inthe Regional Core by use of high-capacity buses and increased ser-vice or simply sticking to the StatusQuo and making no changes at all.

Once the deadline for commentshas past, the District will make writ-ten responses to all responsiblecomments made during the hear-ings or delivered to the District.Those responses will be combinedwith the study and will constitutethe final Environmental ImpactStatement.

In September or October of thisyear, the Board of Directors willselect one of the alternatives, withthat choice subject to approval ofseveral local and regional planningagencies.

Commendations(Editor's note: Quoted below

are excerpts from just a few of thehundreds of letters praising Dis-trict operators received eachmonth by the Customer RelationsDepartment. Space simply doesnot permit printing even a list of alloperators receiving commenda-tions. All such letters are reportedto the Operator by his divisionmanager, however, and a copy isplaced in the operator's personnelfile).

Willie Gibson, Division 8: "I hadthe privilege of being the first toboard Mr. Gibson's bus and wit-nessed from beginning to end, theproblems that faced the driver andhow he handled them in a profes-sional and expedient manner. Asthe bus pulled up to each stop, hedealt with kids trying to sneak on,an aggravated man who wanted tofight, people asking for directions,three foreigners who really caughtthe wrong bus but asked about ittoo late, an accident on the free-way which held up traffic for anhour, teenagers acting up and thena young woman fainting and doubl-ing up in the aisle. Mr. Gibson keptthe bus under control the entiretime and presented himself as aperson very much worthy of theutmost respect."

Jim Shorters, Division 7: "In aneffort to promote the advantages ofrapid transit in a large city I recent-ly took my eighth grade class on arather long ride across town on theRTD system .. I would like to tellyou of one particular individualwho definitely deserves a few extrawords of praise. Jim Shorters ismost unique in his friendly andhelpful treatment of RTD passen-gers. In the half hour we traveledwith him, he must have said wel-come aboard at least 100 times. ltwas a real lesson in psychology tosee how his warm and open wel-come truly changed the faces ofthe people boarding the bus andgetting off at their destination . .He spoke to every individual with afew welcome words or a conta-gious smile. He called out everystop and displayed driving cour-tesy on the road under some prettydifficult situations. Especiallyadmirable — and something I hopemy 14 and 15 year olds noticed —

was the patience and respect heextended to the senior citizenswho rode with him. Setting this fineexample was perhaps his bestquality."

Ralph A. Bruno, Dale A. Simp-son, Division 8: "During one of thehottest periods of the day my carstalled in a public driveway. Iwalked to the corner and called arepair place and two gas stations,none of which could help me. Re-turning to my car I saw two of yourdrivers and asked them to help memove my car to the side. They im-mediately checked the car and gotit started for me. I must commendthem for their courteous assist-ance."

Ernest Marshall, Division 1:"Being new to this state, I wastrying to figure out the bus routesbut could not get through to your24-hour information line. I was in arestaurant and Mr. Marshall camein to have dinner. I asked him if hecould help me and he gave me theinformation I was seeking. I appre-ciated this very much."

Earl Cobbs, Division 3: "Thedriver made three separate re-quests that a passenger turn hisradio down. After the third requestwith no response the driver stop-ped at the next bus stop until thesituation was resolved. In thesetimes, it takes some degree ofcourage to speak out on behalf ofthe majority of passengers againstthe one who is inconsiderate."

Joseph E. Wise, Division 3: "Weare a few of the people whosedays are made brighter and hap-pier by riding the 430 bus eachmorning with Captain Joe Wise.Joe is not only a careful and skillfuldriver, but he is also a spreader ofgood cheer and is the best good-will ambassador the RTD everhad. We love him and want tonominate him for Driver of theYear." (This letter was signed by22 people).

John L. Collins, Division 15:"Several of us transfer from theNo. 20 line from Burbank and theconnection is so close that it isusually a toss up as to whether wewill make it or not. Your kind driverwaited for us all to cross thestreets, thereby starting our day off

(Please turn to page 5)

OPEN FOR BUSINESS—Melba Sarris, office manager of the SanFernando Valley Ticket Office, displays the new system maps avail-able at the District's seventh Customer Service Center along withfree timetables, information and monthly pass sales.

SCHOOL DAYS—Potential telephone information operators studythe more than 200 RTD lines they will have to answer questionsabout when they become PAX operators. Class is part of trainingprogram for the 25 authorized new PAX positions.

Supervisor's actionssave operator's wife

Division 8 operator Jay Stewart was extremely grateful that Super-visor W.F. Siedenburg was an duty the evening of July 5th. But notfor the reasons you might think. Stewart was not having mechanicalproblems with a bus or being hassled by an unruly passenger.Siedenburg's actions an that post-holiday evening possibly savedStewart's wife from having to have her arm amputated. He just mayhave saved her life.

Shortly atter 8:30 p.m., Stewart, his wife and family were driving inthe family car. As they passed through the intersection at SepulvedaBoulevard and Plummer Street, another vehicle ran the red light,slamming into the Stewart car.

Supervisor Siedenburg, who was an duty at the time, came uponthe accident just after it occurred. Stewart recalls what happenedfrom there.

"If Supervisor Siedenburg had not gatten an ambulance and policean the scene as quickly as he did, my wife's right arm might have hadto be amputated," he recalled in a letter commending Siedenburg'sactions. "Thanks to his quick actions the flow of blood was restoredat Panorama Memorial Hospital and she was later transferred toKaiser Hospital, for stitches in her head, her arm placed in a cast andtreatment of other cuts and bruises."

Stewart said that he and his family are extremely appreciative ofthe professionalism and efficiency demonstrated by Siedenberg thatnight. "If more of us had (qualities like his) this world would be amuch better place in which to live," Stewart wrote.

To honor Siedenburg for his lack of apathy and concern for hisfellow human beings, a special commendation award was presentedto him an July 26 by the RTD Board of Directors.

Page 3

ENERGETIC RESPONSE

Statistics reflect increasing use of RTD servicesEveryone is aware that the in-

creased demand put on the RTD inthe wake of the developing energyshortage has resulted in increasedservice on the part of the Districtand its employees.

Well, now the statistics are start-ing to roll in that show just howsignificant that increase has been.

RTD's 2,600 buses rolled intoservice nearly 200,000 times in thefive-county area served by the Dis-trict during the first three months ofthis year, a 6.6 per cent increase

It er the same period last year.o for the first quarter of 1979,

o

istrict buses operated at anannual rate of 103.5 million miles.

However, first quarter ridershipfigures were completely oversha-dowed by the dramatic statisticsregistered in May, at the height ofthe gasoline shortage. For the 22working days in May, average dailypassenger boardings on RTDbuses totalled 1,370,000. DuringMay, 1978, average daily board-ings were 1,100,000.

"The all-time one-day recordwas set Monday, May 14, when werecorded 1,470,000 boardings,"announced RTD Board President

- Marvin Holen. "Just behind thatwas the following Monday, May 21,which saw a count of 1,460,000."

In other ridership counts for themonth of May, El Monte Buswayuse was up more than 25 per centover the previous month. Park-and-Ride lines showed dramaticincreases throughout the servicearea, as much as 30 to 40 per centjigher on some lines, according toWneral Manager Jack Gilstrap.

Downtown minibus usage in-creased 18 per cent in May, whilethe District's Airport Express ser-vice carried 83,000 passengers toLos Angeles International Airport,an increase of 22,000 over April'stotal.

The Bus Express EmployeeProgram (BEEP), RTD's commu-ter service to the El Segundoaerospace complex, more than tri-pled its usage, going from about6,000 in April to 21,000 riders inMay.

Pass sales rose 20 per cent dur-ing the first quarter, with sales ofdiscount passes to senior citizensand students up 22 per cent. (Dis-count pass sales account for 58per cent of all passes sold).

District operators can look withpride to the only decrease reg-istered during the first threemonths of 1979. Customer com-plaints recorded per million board-ings continued to drop slightly, with

received for every one millionWardings. This compares to 24per million received during the

same period last year.About the only thorn in RTD's

rosey picture was that, as the ageof the fleet continues to increase,the number of road calls for buseswith mechanical problems con-tinues to rise. During the first quar-ter, mechanics made road calls onthe average of every 1,838 miles,compared to the first three nnonthsof 1978 when road calls weremade every 2,005 miles.

The District was also movingahead in other directions withprograms established in responseto the energy crisis.

A new Customer Service Centerwas opened in the San FernandoValley for the sale of monthly pas-ses and to provide free timetables,maps, brochures and information.

The new office — the seventhoperated by the District — is lo-cated an the corner of WyandotteStreet and Van Nuys Boulevard, atthe rear of Division 8. Two otherCustomer Service Centers areplanned for the South Bay areaand South Central Los Angeles.

"This is the first additional centerwe are opening as part of our prog-ram to respond to the gasolineshortage," explained Ruth Richter,vice-president of the District'sBoard of Directors, who representsthe area.

Bulk quantities of timetables andmaps are also being distributedfree of charge to Los AngelesCounty home builders and de-velopers. The program allows buil-ders and developers to requestlarge quantities of timetables andarea maps detailing all District ser-vices near their construction site,thus providing new and potentialhome buyers complete informationan that area's bus service.

"Knowledge of a convenient,economical way of getting to workand back, as well as around thecommunity for school, shoppingand recreation, can be a key factorin the sale of a home or condomi-nium," said Director Holen. "Manypotential buyers are looking topublic transportation as a way ofcutting costs after buying a newhome."

Due to the deluge of calls com-ing into the District's Telephone In-formation Center, which has madeit impossible for some people toget through, Bus InformationTeams were sent to five majorshopping centers in the greaterLos Angeles area.

The teams assisted new pas-sengers with free maps, timetablesand other helpful literature to helpthem get around easily an our bussystem.

FIRST LADY—Audrey Ortiz says she has had no ter, des pite being the first female to hold the posi-problem fittina into the routine of the Dispatch cen- tion.

Audrey Ortiz keeps on truckin'down the road to success

Page 4

lt was only two short lines in lastmonth's Schedule Changes sec-tion of Headway. Only the mostthorough reader would havenoticed it unless he were lookingfor it, but it was an historic notenonetheless.

lt read: "Ortiz, Audrey J., (divi-sion) 3203, from Op.X. Supv. ofV.O. to Op.X. Supv. of V.O.X. Rad.Disp. (effective) 4-07-79."

lt may have looked like alphabetsoup, but it meant that Audrey J.Ortiz had become the first femaleradio dispatcher in RTD history.

What might have been cause fora landmark celebration for somebarely ruffled the blonde curls onAudrey's head. She has gottenused to setting such precedents bynow.

With a hint of impish humor inher eyes, Audrey recalls a time —not so long ago — when she wasnot so composed and self-confident about such matters.

"lt dawned on me one day thathere I was, 40 years old, I'd work-ed as a waitress all my life and Iwas going absolutely nowherefast," she says. "I suppose I couldhave continued to go downhill fromthere, but I decided to get gutsy."

With a young daughter to raiseand being separated from her hus-band, getting gutsy meant that Au-drey signed up at the TruckmasterSchool of Trucking. Believe it ornot, she learned to drive the bigrigs.

"My life had been very dull andall of a sudden I found it very in-teresting," she says matter-of-factly.

'I was 40 years old,

had worked as a waitress

all my life and I was not

going anywhere fast'

After "graduation" Audrey foundherself making transcontinentalruns in a diesel rig for a nationaltrucking company, but this was notexactly compatible with being amother. The cab of a truck is notthe best place to raise a child.

So she decided to settle down

The result is obvious. She hasgone farther in her line than anywoman to come before her andshe has broken new ground sever-al times. From Operator she wentto Division Dispatcher at Division3. She followed that up with a briefstint as a Staff Assistant but re-calls, "I decided very quickly thatthat was not where I wanted to be."

So, she applied for and qualifiedfor a supervisor's position, becom-ing the first woman to do so withRTD (there are now four womensupervisors). After the mandatoryone-year period, she opted to tryfor the Radio Dispatcher's job.

Audrey credits a great deal ofher success in the past and withRTD to the fact that she is awoman . . . not because the timesare right for women to make careerstrides, but because being awoman has made her try harder atwhatever she attempts.

Her boss, Superintendent ofTransportation Services Jeff Diehl,agrees.

"I really never had any doubtsthat Audrey couldn't handle the jobbecause she has always done wellat any of the positions she has heldwith the company. The reason wenever had a woman in this positionbefore is that Audrey's the first oneto qualify," Diehl explains, addingthat Audrey went through the nor-mal promotion procedure for theposition. She finished second outof 10 applicants and that includedconvincing an Oral Review Boardthat she could do the job.

Then followed a six-week train-ing period to learn Central Dis-patch Center operations. Sinceshe has been on the job, Diehlsays he can sum up her perform-ance in one word, "Fantastic. Shepossesses all the traits a radio dis-patcher needs: patience, under-standing, a thorough knowledge of.company rules and procedures, aneven temperament and the abilityto respond to stress situations."

Audrey says she has yet to en-counter anything in the way ofstress to equal the first accidentshe was called upon to handle as aSupervisor of Vehicle Operations.That situation involved a bus ver-sus auto collision on busy Wilshire

Boulevard with dozens of peoplesent to the hospital. Nothing thattraumatic has happened over theairwaves as yet, she reports.

"Whatever job I have done, I al-ways make sure I'm as good at itas I can possibly be," she says. "Ireally like the work here, it's vähtinteresting and I would like to gfflfar as possible in this office."

While she does not have hereyes on any particular job, shesays, "Who knows what may openup?"

Despite the inroads she hasmade into a previously all-male do-main, Audrey shies away fromthinking of herself as a feminist.

"No, sir. I'm no women's libber,"she says with a big smile. "If a mancame along who could support mydaughter and 1 in the style to whichwe've become accustomed, I'dgive up my job right now. I still want

`If I can do the things

I have done, anyone can.

It's just a matter of

wanting to do them'

to be known as a woman anglakmother and the guys here treatIfras such."

Now 16 years old, her daughteris "very proud of her mom," Audreysays. "When I first started workingas a Radio Dispatcher, she heardmy voice come over a bus radiowhile she was riding to school. Shetold me later she wanted to standup and teil everyone on the bus,`Hey, that's my mom?' "

If she were to give any advice toothers it would probabiy be thatsuccess is a matter of desire, ofwanting something and not beingcontent with the way things are.

"If I can do the things I havedone," she says, "anyone can. It'sjust a matter of wanting to dothem."

There are those who contendthat life begins at 40 . .. or 50 . . .Bus Radio Dispatcher Audrey Ortizis a perfect example that life be-gins when you want it to.

and went to work locally for Safe-way Markets, driving one of theirbig delivery trucks from store tostore. Audrey was the first femaledriver to work for the nationwidesupermarket chain.

From there it was a relativelysimple move from hauling food tohauling people when she joinedthe District as an Operator in July of1975. Audrey operated for twoyears out of Division 3 in HighlandPark and credits Assistant Trans-portation Manager James Cin-derelli for inspiring her to climb thecompany ladder.

"I owe him a lot," she confesses."He constantly encouraged me totry and better myself, to not becontent to stay a driver, but to geton up the line as far as I could."

Commendations

AtOttr 130,1M

RAJU 4.44.

044 JauKt

itt 1The gang's all here

The RTD Board of Directors got together to present retiring Dis-trict Secretary Richard Kissick with a special board resolution com-mending him for his 41 years of service. Joining Kissick, who offi-cially retires September 1, were (front row, lett to right) David Hay-ward, Gerald Leonard, Jay Price, Kissick, Michael Lewis, MarvinHolen, (back row, left to right) George Takei, Charles Storing, RuthRichter, and Carl Meseck. Not shown were Don Gibbs and ThomasNuesom. The District Secretary is one of four positions appointeddirectly by the board.

Page 5

recognitionRetirement is both a happy and

sad time as workers look forwardto relaxing after long careers, yetmust say good-bye to old friendsthey have toiled with for years, InJuly, eight District employees"shifted gears" into retirement asthe Board of Directors honoredthem for their years of dedicatedservice to the transit industry.Director George Takei (left) pas-sed out commemorative plaquesand congratulations to (front row,left to right) Buddy Sutton, 33years, William D. Adkison, 34years; Mac H. Baldridge, 32 years(back row, left to right) Joseph R.Pokorski, 33 years; and Richard J.Veeh, 38 years. Unable to attendthe ceremony was Robert L. Joy,21 years.

(Please turn to page 2)

right. It's only a minute for him, buts ' there are very few who take thet to remember that at that parti-cu ar stop there are nearly alwaysa couple people trying to get towork on time."

j. W. Johnson, Jr., Division 7:"He called the streets at each busstop. Most drivers da not renderthis service so indispensable to theblind traveler. As a blind bus rider, Iwas further impressed by the carehe took to enumerate two andthree bus lines intersected by theMelrose line at its major crossings.I hope I ride with him again soon."

Bob Robinson, Division 18: "Hispatience and good humor has im-pressed many of his passengers,they express their gratitude andcommend him an his very helpfulmanner. I have watched this forseveral months and have myselfbeen helped just by seeing thereare people still in the world who aregenuinely charitable. lt has nothingto da with job duty, his kindnessextends beyond this . . . I haveseen him patiently and courteouslyliate a most irascible female

senger I would not even try toreason with. I have seen him takethe time to try to find out where thepassengers want to go and directthem . . . Above all, his patienceand good humor stands out.Seeing his acts of kindness cer-tainly helped to restore my confi-dence in the human race.

David L. Weed, Division 7: "Thisdriver seems to be extraordinairlyconcerned with the safety andcomfort of his passengers. Hemakes every effort to be courteousand helpful in giving directions, ex-plaining transfer points and so an.He also shows great concern forthe elderly, wornen with babies orsmall children, the handicappedand passengers with !arge pack-ages. Likewise, he does not hesi-tate to enforce the rules regardingna smoking or drinking an the bus,or any other act that is unlawful orunbecoming. He impresses me."

David Burleston, Division 5: "Idropped my monthly bus pass anhis bus. A passenger gave it tohim. Due to the fact I have myidentification card in my pass hol-der, he contacted me and was kindenough to deliver my pass to myhome. I am very grateful to him."

Bonnie Burrell, Division 3: "I hadoccasion to ride the RTD aftermany years of traveling by car.Having na knowledge of the busroute, I was extremely grateful forthe unhesitating willingness andgenuine sincerity of your Operator.She has won my respect andesteem, not only for herself, but forRTD as well."

Robert Hall, Division 15: "Hispersonality is taps, always cour-teous, pleasant but at the sametime tough when it comes to rulesand regulations of the company."

J. Eskiewicz, Jr., Division 8: "Ihave been riding RTD since 1971and I don't believe I have met amore helpful, polite and certainlyconscientous driver. He knows hispassengers and keeps a watchfuleye at each stop for late comers.He is an excellent driver and getsus home on time."

S. Williams, Division 6: "While inthe process of directing one of thepassengers, he inadvertently pas-sed the bus stop where an elderlywoman wished to get off. Whenmade aware of this, he immediate-ly stopped the bus, got off andassisted this senior citizen back toher desired stop."

Cleophus Hicks, Division 2: "Iboarded the number 7 bus anSpring for Glendale. Since it wasmy first trip out that way, I wasuncertain as how to reach my des-tination. The driver was very cour-teous and very informative. Ilearned that I could ride the 436bus which is much closer to myhome and would get me within oneblock of where I was going."

Rudy Walker, Division 2: "He isa very safe driver, even in thethickest traffic. He is a very helpful,courteous and polite driver. Heneeds a big pat an the back."

Four-in-one feteA four-in-one-celebration was held recently at Division 12 in Long

Beach to honor a quartet of that division's operators who were shiftinggears into retirement. Division Trans portation Manager Ralph Costello(center) joined other division employees in congratulating (front row,second from left) Harold Naughton, Leonard V. Shackell, Robert Joy andElbert Beesley. Next to Beesley is his wife, Betty.

ON THE JOB—New Manager of EEO office David Dominguez (sea-ted) goes over some reports with representative Roger Rose.

Page 6

BRIDGING THE GAP

Program offers students look at real worldHelping bridge the gap between

academic and practical experi-ence, the RTD Safety Departmentparticipated in a Safety lnternshipProgram with the University ofSouthern California.

Jacquie Smith, who recently re-ceived her Bachelor of Science de-gree in safety from USC, earnedcourse credit for on-the-job trainingwith the RTD safety staff.

During the program, close moni-toring of work progress was main-tained by the university's SafetyDepartment Chairman Dr. TedFerry. This included worksite eva-

luation of Smith's activities.Throughout the program, Jac-

quie took part in the full realm offunctions performed by membersof the District Safety Department,including inspections, interviews,and investigations," explainedDirector of Safety Joe Reyes.Reyes was instrumental in coordi-nating the establishment of theprogram with USC.

The insights Smith gainedthrough her internship paid off asshe has now accepted a positionwith IBM in San Jose, California,as a Safety Inspector. In her new

position she will be responsible forall facets of safety education, train-ing and investigation.

"I'd like to thank all the membersof the Safety Department for help-ing me in this program," saidSmith. "They devoted a lot of theirtime and gave me a lot of encour-agement. Through programs likethis, RTD is not only contributing tothe shaping of future safety profes-sionals, but also to the world ofsafety."

While this first program was con-ducted mostly on evenings andweekends, Reyes noted that sub-

sequent groups of interns will bemore involved in daily operations.Set to start in September, the nextgroup may have as many as threeinterns.

"I see this as a reciprocatingprogram," explained Reyes. "Weget people interested in safety tohelp us with numerous assign-ments, and they gain insights tothe real world experience of a safe-ty practitioner.

"lt continues RTD's philosophyof contributing to the growing safe-ty movement by helping to trainfuture safety Professionals."

GETTING TO KNOW YOU—Safety Department intern Jacquie Smith(second from left) enjoys an informal meeting with Director of SafetyJoe Reyes (from left), Safety Specialist John Brewer and Division 9Assistant Maintenance Manager Ted Hustava.

ROUND AND ROUND SHE GOES—Ted Hustava explains Operationof a brake lathe to Jacquie Smith during a safety ins pection at theDivision 9 maintenance facility.

David Dominguez assumes.post as Manager of EEO

rClassified• Lot for sale near Crest-

line in the San Gabriel Moun-tains. More than 10,000square feet, zoned residen-tial. Call Jim Smart, (213)376-5465.

• Contemporary buffet anddinette set for sale. Goodcondition. $100. Call LeRoyCarlson at (213) 842-7087.

• 1970 Plymouth Valiantwith new engine, transmis-sion, brakes and battery.$1,250. 1974 Cadiallac SDV,Excellent condition. $2,800.Cal! Abdul S. Chawdhry be-tween 9 am. and 2 p.m. at(213) 705-4868.

• New 19-foot family skiboat with blue-painted 460Ford, Panther Jet and com-petitive tandem axle trailer.$7,995. Call between 4-10p.m., (213) 861-2959.

• Complete bedroom setincluding mattress, head-

board, frame and chest withmirrors. Brand new. $550.Call between 8 a.m. and 8p.m. (213) 295-6730.

• Conn. Organ, good con-dition, Mapel. Birdsey. $300.Call anytime (213) 255-9164.

• 1976 Cadillac Seville,two-tone Burgundy Maroonwith Rolls Royce grill, truespoke classic wire wheels,brand new tires, stereo unitvalued at $1,500. Like brandnew, immaculate. Asking$12,000, or make offer. Mustsell! Call 268-0226.

• 1953 Ford Pick-up withrebuilt Lincoln engine andtransmission, positractionrear end (Chevy), brand newTA-50s low profile Goodrichradials and rims, interiordone, customized grill withdouble headlights. Must seeto appreciate. Asking $4,000or make offer. Must sell. 268-0226.

David Dominguez has joined theExecutive Staff of the SouthernCalifornia Rapid Transit District asmanager of RTD's Equal Employ-ment Opportunities (EEO) Office.

At the RTD, Dominguez will beresponsible for ensuring the Dis-trict is in compliance with EEO reg-ulations relating to nondiscrimina-tory practices affecting employ-ment regardless of race, creed,color, sex, age, national origin ordisability.

In addition he is responsible forthe District's compliance with reg-ulations affecting Minority Busi-

ness Enterprise participation inDistrict procurement.

Prior to joining the District,Dominguez was the AffirmativeAction Administrator for BlueCross and the EEO Regional Rep-resentative for the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Care prog-ram in Southern California.

Dominguez is a graduate ofCalifornia State College at LongBeach and has earned a master'sdegree in urban studies fromOccidental College and in PublicAdministration from the Universityof Southern California.

Best bargain in town!

St. Bernard puppies in need of a good home? A 1965 Chevrolet beingreplaced by a newer model? A four-poster bed tucked away in thegarage? Whatever you want to sell, trade or give away, let fellow RTDemployees have the first chance and advertise it in Headway at nocost. Just fill out the coupon below and return it to Headway, RTD, 6thFloor, 425 So. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. (Please includehome telephone numbers only.)

Name:

Work location:

Description of item:

Price: Hours to call:

Area code: Telephone no.:

La t111111 MIO

KATHY, VIC MUNIZ

Place.

Employee Name.Badge No.: Home Phone: Event. Date Occurred: Other Facts.

Work Location•

Work Phone -

LOUIS CARREON THOMAS EDWARDS

"Making Headway" is designed to publicize news about yourpersonal achievements and those of your family, whether itconcerns births, graduations, anniversaries, retirements, spe-cial awards or other such accomplishments. Please use thiscard to forward any such news to David Himmel, HeadwayEditor, 6th Floor, 425 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90013.Or, simply submit your announcement via company mail toHeadway Editor (House Organ Editor), Location 32. If you sendphotographs, black-and-white is preferred.

Page 7

MAKInG HERDWAYVictor Muniz, a representative

of the Stops and Zones Depart-ment, has had his mind on Capi-tol Hill in Washington, D.C., a lotlately.

No, Munitz is not consideringgiving up his career in publictransportation after 32 years toseek a political office. He hasbeen thinking about his 20-year-old daughter, Katharyn, who isworking in the nation's capitol aspart of an eight-week internshipwith Congressman WayneGrisham of the 33rd District(which includes La Miradawhere the Muniz family resides).

Kathy, a senior at the Univer-sity of California, Los Angelesmajoring in political science,was one of 60 students selectedto participate in a governmentinternship program sponsoredby UCLA.

According to father Victor,Kathy was looking forward toobserving the political world fir-sthand and was especially in-terested in seeing how govern-ment functions. The internshipbegan in mid-June.

"I want to try and apply whatI've learned in class to whatreally happens in government,"she told a reporter for a localnewspaper. She said she alsohoped to work with complaintsfrom the people who live in the33rd congressional district be-cause, "it's nny home and I thinkI know it best."

Victor said his daughter's in-terest in politics had grown sinceshe worked on a campaign dur-ing a local election. He saidKathy's hopeful this experiencein Washington will help her de-termine if politics is the careershe wants to pursue.

July. Mother and baby are doingfine and from the same anony-mous poet:

The glowing Ruby shouldadorn

Those who in warm July areborn,

Then will they be exempt andfree

From love's doubt andanxiety.

Lewis H. Ellis, a Supervisor ofVehicle Operations for the Dis-trict, knows the meaning of hardwork and perseverance. Lewisrecently received his Bachelorof Science degree in PublicAdministration from CaliforniaState University, DominguezHills. Concentrating on Adminis-trative Management and PublicPersonnel Administration, Ellisspent four years attending clas-ses during the day while workingnights as a supervisor.

"In between every spare mo-ment was filled with studying,"says Ellis, who believes that theperson best suited for any posi-tion is the person who knowshow to learn. "More and more,companies are looking for peo-ple with intelligence and prob-lem-solving ability, people whoare dependable and work wellwith others."

Ellis joined the District as anOperator in July of 1959. InMarch of 1965 he was promotedto Operator Extra Supervisor ofVehicle Operation and hasworked in his present capacitysince July, 1967.

In obtaining his education,Lewis took advantage of theDistrict's tuition reimbursementprogram when possible to coverthe costs of books, materialsand tuition.

"I am very grateful for the helpand support," Ellis says. "I feelthat I have accomplishedanother long-awaited goal in mylife and this degree reflects mydetermination to succeed."

In case you've ever wonderedwhat goes on on a fishing boat,we have this report filed by JohnKing from the San Clemente Is-land Fishing Trip. Some 49 ofthe 50 scheduled to go showedup for the overnight jaunt. Kingreports he saw Pat Kelly usingnight crawlers, Carl Johnsonwas fasting, he never left thegalley. Frank Larson could onlyget one bunk. Marty Martinezwas chumming at 3 am. WalterWhiteside had three poles butcaught 27 fish. Paul Tassonelost an Anchovy in his beard.

John Brazzle, the quiet man,really was there. Bill Kovachnever left the bow. Epi Ramirez(23 fish) paid for his boss' lunch.Lester Heffler outfished his dad.Someone thought they saw LeeCayen using a shotgun to huntfor fish.

Louis Carreon won the Jack-pot Prize for the largest top fish,while Thomas Edwards won thehonors for the biggest bottomdwelling fish. The general con-sensus, King reports, was let'sdo it again! (By the way, if any-one is missing a tackle box, callJohn at ext. 6253).

Director of Safety Joe Reyesand his wife, Rose, will have lit-tle trouble remembering thedate of June 19. That's the daytheir first child was born. Promp-tly named Roslyn Nicole, thechild was born at 6:30 p.m.,weighed 71/2 pounds and was191/2 inches long. As a Junebaby, the following is dedicatedto her from an anonymous poet:

Who comes with summer tothis earth

And owes to June her day ofbirth

With ring of Agate on herhand

Can health, wealth and longlife command.

Division 3 operator RobinSands is celebrating the arrivalof his second son, Bryan Arthur,born the day after the Fourth of

1.'The safe performance award program, now entering its fourth year,

has helped reduce the system-wide fleet accident rate from 12,000-miles-between-accidents in 1976 to the present 14,000-miles-between-accidents. Winners of the First Quarter 1979 Safe Performance Awardwere Division 8 Transportation, which had a 16 per cent improvement inits miles between accidents from 16,000 to 19,000; and Division 12Maintenance, where employees went 15,000 hours with only one lost-time injury. Pictured here accepting the awards from Director of SafetyJoe Reyes (left) and Director Jay Price are John Adams, AssistantTrans portation Manager at Division 8; and Milton Spencer, who acceptedthe award on behalf of Division 12's Floyd Hughes.

Safety

prone

Sunday, September 164 p.m. to midnightAdmission to Disneyland andunlimited use of all attractions(shooting galleries excepted) in-cluding dancing, entertainment,bands, shows, free parking.Tickets:$5.00 for RTD employees & family $5.75 for guests(Children 2 years and under free)Contact the Recreation Department at Ext. 6580.

Maynard Z. Walters takesrens of Purchasing Dept.

Maynard Z. Walters, 41, hasbeen appointed Director of Pur-chasing and Stores for the South-ern California Rapid Transit Dis-trict. The position is under the gen-eral administrative direction ofController-Treasurer-Auditor JoeScatchard.

Walters comes to the Districtfrom the Samsonite Corporation,where he was Manager of Pur-chasing and Transportation in theSoftside Luggage Division at thecompany's Tucson, Arizona, head-quarters. He joined them in 1973.

Prior to that he was a purchas-ing agent with International Tele-phone and Telegraph (ITT), pre-

ceded by 10 years in the UnitedStates Air Force as an lnterceptWeapons Controller. He attainedthe rank of Major and is a memberof the Air Force Reserve.

Married to his wife, Caroline, for17 years, Walters has two children:a daughter, Lee, 12; and a son,Christopher, 6.

His duties with the District willinclude purchasing all equipmentand commodities for the companyand managing all the stores.

A graduate of the College of Wil-liam and Mary, Walters has a mas-ter's degree in Management fromthe University of Southernfornia.

RTD SOFTBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS(As of July 15, 1979)

WLDivision 9-operators 5-0Division 6 4-0Division 5 4-1Headquarters 3-1Division 2 3-2Division 12 3-2Division 7 1-4Division 18 1-4Division 1 0-5Division 9-mechanics 0-5

Week 19-ops def. HO, 13-56 def. 9-mech, 14-05 def. 7, 13-82 def. 1,4-312 def. 18, 11-9

Week 29-ops def. 12, 7-06 def. 2, 9-25 def. 1, 11-9HQ def. 7,11-118 def. 9-mech, 11-2

Week 39-ops def. 5, 7-56 def. 1, nsa

HQ def. 18, 6-52 def. 7, 6-412 def. 9-mech, 20-1

Week 49-ops def. 2, 4-16 def. 18, 8-6HQ def. 12, 6-55 def. 9-mech, forfeit7 def. 1,12-5

Week 59-ops def. 1, 12-2 •5 def. 18, 10-212 def. 7, 12-82 def. 9-mech, 11-0HO vs. 6, postponed

Page 8

MAYNARD Z WALTERS

Schedule ChangesMoving Up

Div./Name Dept. Classification Date

Cale, Douglas R. 3202 Operator to Op. Ex. Div. Disp. 5/20/79Fredrick, William 7300 Jr. Stlk Clk. to Trk. Dr. 5/01/79

Clk. Rel.Shibata, Kenneth W. 3306 Shipping Clk. to Equip. Rec.

Spec. 4/30/79

Vivian, Darrell D. 3208 Operator to Op. Ex. Div. Disp. 5/20/79

Shifting GearsDiv./Dept.

32033305320932033298320532093215331462003201320932093302

Supervisor 17300 Director of Purchasing &

Stores3208 Operator3208 Operator3302 Utility A4445 Ticket Office & Reports Clerk3209 Operator

NameAirhart, RobertBradford, L.D.Chevlin, SydneyFelan, RudyFitzpatrick, Henry J.Frey, Lowell W.Horton, RoyJensen, Lars DaleKeith, Alfred V.Langlois, Dorothy MaeLarson, Lyman W.Lubak, John J.Montgomery, ThomasSchardijn, Leonard

Stanley, Earl W.

Swanson. Stanley C.Thomas, Ronald L.Ward, AlexanderWildish, Eva M.

Williams, Raymond P.

ClassificationOperatorUtilit AOperatorOperatorRadio DispatcherOperatorOperatorOperatorMechanic "A"Senior InterviewerOperatorOperatorOperatorEquipment Maintenance

Hired Retired5/26/57 6/02/791/04/46 6/02/795/20/42 6/17/798/17/59 6/02/795/06/47 6/10/79

4/30/42 6/01/799/29/58 6/29/791/22/58 6/05/793/27/50 6/02/7910/07/466/02/796/08/48 6/13/7910/29/476/02/792/04/43 6/04/799/21/59 5/20/79

4/01/41 6/02/79

4/08/47 6/02/798/05/67 5/16/798/13/52 6/02/793/27/61 6/27/79

8/04/66 5/19/79

In MemoriamDiv./

Name Dept. Classification Deceased

Carlisle, Millard 3314 Former Watchman-Retired 6/07/79Franchin, Leo 3207 Former Operator 5/31/79Fisher, Michael 3221 Former Traffic Loader- 6/08/79

Retired 8/2/78Frye, Vernie 3206 Former Operator 5/27/79

Retired 8/3/62Galindo, Susan 3203 Operator 6/15/79Jackson, Henry 3302 Utilit "A" - Transferred

to Ind. Lve. 4/29/795/28/79

Losey, Ralph E. 3209 Former Operator - Retired 6/07/791/6/79

RTD EMPLOYEE PICNIC TICKET ORDER FORM

Name: Badge•

Work Location•

Home Address

Home Phone.

I plan to ride a bus from Division

Please send me:

Adult tickets @ $3.50 each. Total$

Childs tickets @ $2 each. Total $

Enclosed Total$

DO NOT SEND CASH! Make check or money order pay-

able to RTD. Send to Recreation Department, Location 32,

via company mail or to Diane Delaney, 425 S. Main Street,

Los Angeles, 90013. Tickets are also available directly

from Betty Sconce in the Employee Relations Department,

6th Floor of headquarters building.

(bring your own equipment) and hiking trails abound in the area.—Parking space is available for more than 1,000 cars and free bus

service will be provided from most of the divisions.Of course, there are certain rules that must be obeyed, but they

are simple. The park allows absolutely no hard liquor of any kind, noglass bottles, no pets and no cars or trucks on the lawn.

The park is located a significant distance from Los Angeles, but itis the minimum distance needed to escape the smog and congestionof the city. Where the demand is sufficient to justify their use, buseswill leave the District's various operating divisions at approximately 9a.m. the day of the picnic. If you drive, take the San Diego or GoldenState Freeways north to Highway 14 (the Antelope Valley Freeway).Get off at Crown Valley Road in Action and its four miles to SoledadSands Park.

Page 9

Third Annual RTD Employee Picnic

A new date, a new location and lots of new things to do guaranteesthat the Third Annual RTD Employee Picnic will be the biggest andbest ever sponsored by the District's Recreation Department.

This year's get-together will be held at Soledad Sands Park, a30-acre oasis situated in smog-free Soledad Canyon near the townof Acton, north of Los Angeles. The park, especially designed toaccomodate company, church and club picnics, is in the midst of a600-acre ranch and features 10 acres of lawn for picnicking in theshade of giant Cottonwood trees.

Other features the park offers to District employees and theirfamilies include a half-acre swimming pool, a wading Pool that mean-ders stream-like through the picnic area, games, a .7-mile miniaturerailroad ride, restrooms and virtually everything you need for a day offamily fun.

And that, of course, includes food.RTD Employee Activities Coordinator Diane Delaney has

arranged for a menu that will include BBQ chicken, BBQ ribs, corn-on-the-cob, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, potato chips,

W pickles, rolls and butter and lemonade.Ticket prices for the day-long event are $3.50 for adults and $2 for

children five to 10 years old. Children under five are admitted free.There will be no admittance to the park without a ticket and ticketswill not be sold at the gate, Delaney explained.

"The District picnic is the Recreation Department's most heavilysubsidized event of the year," said Delaney. "Because of this, onlyRTD employees, retirees and their immediate family are included.The only exception to this is for single employees, who are allowed tobring a companion."

In addition to the food, the ticket price includes use of such parkfacilities as:

— A 125- by 225-foot filtered swimming pool that ranges in depthfrom two to nine feet. There is a one-meter diving board and a twelvefoot high slide in the deep and and a six-foot high slide in the shallowend. Lifeguards are on duty.

—More than 300 picnic tables scattered over the park's 10-acrelawn, mostly in the shade of Cottonwoods. Barbecues are availablefor free use, but you may bring your own if you wish.

—No picnic would be complete without games and District em-ployees can enjoy horseshoes or volleyball on special courts withequipment available for no extra charge. For kids of all ages thereare life-sized fire engines, fishing boats, slides, swings, sandboxes, amoon bounce and wading pools. There are two baseball diamonds

Published monthly for the employeesand retirees of the Southern CaliforniaRapid Transit District.

Editorial input and suggestionswelcome. Deadline for receipt ofeditorial copy is the 14th of each month.Send black-and-white photographs on-iy, please. Requests for photographiccoverage of District events must bepreceded by 72 hours notice.

Mailing address: Headway, 6th Floor,425 South Main Street, Los Angeles,CA 90013. Telephone: 213-972-6680.

David Himmel, Editor

Page 10

65 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH

MCL buys ARTS for $150,000(Editor's note: This is the first in an occa-

sional series of articles looking back at thetop stories of a quarter century ago in theLos Angeles transit industry).

The top story for public transportation inLos Angeles during August, 1954, was theacquisition of the Glendale-based AsburyRapid Transit System (ARTS) by Metropoli-tan Coach Lines (MCL) for $150,000. Thetransfer of assets took place August 3 atMetro's headquarters, 610 S. Main Street,Los Angeles.

MCL, just under one-year-old at the time,added ARTS' 17 routes, 140 route miles and98 coaches to its growing fleet of 814coaches and 2,000 employees. All 140ARTS employees remained on their jobswith the exception of general officers.

One of the higher-ranking Asbury em-ployees who continued at his job was ARTS'Assistant Manager of Operations John S.Wilkens, presently RTD's Manager of Em-ployee Relations.

Among the benefits of MCL's acquisition ofAsbury Lines was the important factor of "im-proving service in the rapidly growing SanFernando Valley, scene of its principal Oper-ations."

In other stories that month, Metro's prog-ram for improved transportation was in thespotlight at California Public Utilities Com-mission hearings to study the proposedchangeover from street car to motor coachoperations on the Long Beach, San Pedro,

Bellflower and Watts lines. As Metro presi-dent Jerry L. Haugh told the commission,"The savings is very substantial and will helpmaterially in providing the riding public with amodern type of equipment, more frequentschedules and, in general, a greatly im-proved service."

Because of the loss of a private right ofway, due to surface streets crossing surfacetracks, the speed of the interurban trains wasslowed to the point where buses were fasterand provided better service.

At the same time, Metropolitan CoachLines joined with the city's other major car-rier, Los Angeles Transit Lines, to requestauthority from CPUC for a two-cent increasein Los Angeles local zone fares. Both prop-erties filed a joint application asking for araise from 15 to 17 cents and a boost fromfive to six cents for each additional fare zone.The application was filed jointly because ofjoint fare and transfer arrangements be-tween the two agencies.

On August 11, MCL president Haugh tolda Citizens Traffic and Transit Committeemeeting in Mayor Norris Poulson's office, "Bymaking the change to buses (from streetcars) now while there is a sufficient numberof passengers available to justify an attrac-tive service, we are certain that the down-trend in traffic volume can be checked or atleast retarded. Any extended delay in mak-ing the proposed change will have the effectof further depleting the service and bringing

closer the day when the passenger volumeon the lines cannot justify an attractive ser-vice. In this regard, it is later than somethink."

In other news of the month, O.A. Smith,under whose guidance the iron wheels of thePacific Electric passenger system began toturn into rubber tires to keep pace with thetimes, retired as President of Pacific ElectricRailway and Assistant to the President of theSouthern Pacific Company.

Elsewhere, in modernizing MCL opera-tions, a pilot program was begun to havepaychecks processed by IBM tabulatingmachines instead of regular check-writingamachines. Also, manually operated PBX'switchboards were replaced with an in-house direct dial system so employees couldmake calls to each other without goingthrough a switchboard Operator.

Finally, in an article by Stuart Mill Bate,Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Metropoli-tan Traffic Association, it was suggested that"express bus service on freeways was thelogical answer to the automobile-createdtraffic conditions of the foreseeable future."

(Source: Metro politan Coach News, pub-lished bi-monthly by Metropolitan CoachLines for employees and their families.Volume 1, Number 5. W. Warren Silliman,Jr., editor. Room 617, Pacific Electric Build-ing, 610 South Main Street, L.A.).

Herbest footforward

Galt Kiuchi, a junior at Art Center College of Design, proudly displaysthe $1,000 first prize check in front of her winning entry in the First AnnualTransit Advertising Design Competition. Co-sponsored by RTD and Tran-sit Ads, Inc., the contest theme was to show "Benefits of using publictransit." Ms. Kiuchi's design has been applied to the sides of 15 Districtbuses and will be displayed for the remainder of the summer. Thecontest was judged by a panel of advertising and marketing executivesfrom such companies as Pepsi-Cola, Watt Disney Enterprises, Continen-tal Airlines, Denny's Restaurants, Atlantic Richfield Corporation and in-cluded RTD Manager of Planning and Marketing George McDonald.

Who gets it?Who gets what in the event

of your death? Several death%„,have occurred recentleamong District employeesand retirees with the desig-nated beneficiary either de-ceased, divorced or unable tobe found.

Long court battles and sub-stantial delays in the paymentof the claim can result if thedesignation of beneficiary isnot up to date.

Have you checked the be-neficiary designation on yourgroup life insurance lately?Call Lucille Torres in the Per-sonnel Department, extension6381, for further information.

HotlineIf you have a question, sug-

gestion or constructive critic-ism about District operationsthat you want to expressdirectly to management, theEmployee Hotline may be justthe thing for you.

The number to call is 972- /II6683. You leave a recorded -19message and, while identify-ing yourself is not required,you want a reply to your ques-tion or suggestion you leaveyour name and work location.

Southern California Rapid Transit District425 So. Main St., 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013 BULK RATE

U.S POSTAGE

PAID Los Angeles, Ca

Permit No. 32705