RTD President Byron E. Cook, center, General Manager Jack R. Gilstrap, right, andElmo Douglass, left, resident engineer, look pleased as they show off a miniature scalemodel of what the new Division 7 will look like when completed. Construction of the newdivision is now in the Phase A stage.

IFirFACIP

Patrolman SmithGraduates At Top

Of Class FromSherriff's Academy

* Patrolman D. Smith

C4- 14F

HEAD AYSouthern California Rapid Transit District

Volume 3 Number 2 February 8, 1976

RTD Logo Updated Work Begins On New Division 7 Recreation NewsThe District's familiar three-color logo is

looking a little differently these days: thecolor scheme has been changed, andthe familiar RTD initials are now all black.The letters themselves have beenstreamlined.

The District's stationery also reflects thenew look. The stationery heading will be allblack with an orange "boomerang". In ad-dition, the heading at the top of the oldstationery has been condensed into threelines in the upper left-hand corner underthe new two-color logo. The new stationeryis already being used by some depart-ments in the District and the print shop isbusy printing up enough of the newstationery to meet all the District's needs.

The new logo will be displayed aroundthe District as the finishing touches arecompleted on the new Transit Headquar-ters, and as District facilities are remodeledand refurbished.

According to George L. McDonald,Manager of Planning and Marketing, a full-scale re-evaluation of all District graphicswill be undertaken when RTD initiates rapidtransit final design.

District Patrolman Duane Smith recentlygraduated from the L.A. County Sheriff'sAcademy at the top of his class of 42, andhas also been assigned as a staff instructorto the Academy.

Duane has been a patrolman with theDistrict since April of 1975, and works the12 a.m. to 8 a.m. shift at the new TransitHeadquarters Building at 425 So. Main.

The graduation was the most recent ac-complishment in a long line of credits forhard-working Duane. In addition to workingfull time for the District, the Academycourse was a rigorous 26-week programwhich Duane attended on Sundays from6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and from 6 a.m. to11 p.m. on Mondays.

Duane has been in the Sheriff's Reserveprogram for about five years while alsoworking full time. In the program he hastaken classes on everything from specialweapons and firearms to criminal law andcustody. As part of the program, he has

Construction of the new Division 7 isnow underway with the implementation ofsite grading for what will eventually be atotally new Division 7. The grading involvesnine acres located next to the old Division7 at Santa Monica and San Vicente Blvds.,

also worked with the Sheriff's office onpatrol, custody, and the detective bureau.

Duane started with the Sheriff's programin 1 971 when he took a specialist's shortcourse (100 hours) in public relations,testifying, preservation of evidence, etc.After completing that course, he wasevaluated under field conditions by aregular deputy for an additional 150 hours.

When not working, or attending theAcademy, Duane attends Pierce Collegeand is working on a degree in criminaljustice. But before he changed his major,he had three years of credit as a major ineconomics.

Duane plans to go onto Cal State L.A.However, before transferring, he would liketo stop off at L.A. Community College topick up a 30-unit certificate in policescience.

A native of northern California, Duanegraduated from Pleasant Hills High Schoolin 1959, and after graduation enlisted inthe Army where he spent six years as amilitary policeman.

When asked what makes him so active,he said, "As long as there are things tolearn, I want to learn them." As for hob-bies—when he can squeeze them in—helikes sky diving and oceanography.

Duane eventually hopes to become aspecial agent with the District and feelsthat the Special Agents Department offersgood career opportunity. He adds: "I'llnever stop learning as long as there issomething new to be learned, and in myfield, there is something new to learneveryday."

and the $476,000 operation is expectedto be completed by the middle of March.

After the grading is finished, con-struction will begin on the new $5.5 millioncomplex which will include totally new bus

(Continued on Page 3)

RegionalStudies Planned

Two studies are now underway to com-pletely evaluate RTD bus service in twoareas of Los Angeles County as a first steptowards a new sub-regional transit im-provement program.

The two areas to be evaluated areWest Los Angeles and the north LosAngeles/Glendale area.

Studies of both areas, which began lastmonth, will be completed by July andpresented to the Directors this fall.

RTD General Manager Jack R. Gilstrap,commenting on the studies, said, "Theseanalyses will complete a comprehensive,three-year bus improvement programWhich will yield substantial betterments inboth local and regional RTD servicesthroughout Los Angeles county."

According to Gilstrap, a new community-oriented planning procedure has beenestablished to improve the system."Initially, meetings will be conducted withcity staffs and chambers of commerce toinform them of the District's studyprocedures, and to exchange ideas whichwill not only lead to the system's goals butalso to the constraints within which wemust operate," he said. "Then eachcommunity will undergo an intensiveexamination by the District's staff and byhighly-qualified transit consultants."

By now most of you have seen theDominos tournament display in your areaand many of you have sent in an entry form.For those of you, however, whose worklocation was not supplied with forms, clipand fill out the form in this issue of Head-way and send it by company mail to BillWeimer, 6th floor, 425 So. Main St., LosAngeles, CA 90013. But hurry, we needtime to arrange your first elimination game.

Also, some of you have not filled out aquestionnaire you received in the mail in-dicating the activity you are interested in. Ifyou have misplaced it or somehow it waslost in the mail, you can still tell us what ac-tivity you like by filling out the question-naire in this issue and mailing it in.

A quick recap of the questionnairesreceived to date indicate more employeesare interested in bowling than any other ac-tivity with softball running a close second.

Plans are currently underway to clean upthe Gas Company property adjacent toDivision 9 in El Monte for use inrecreational activities such as tournamentplayoffs, little theatre productions, gleeclub and orchestra — to name a few.Needless to say, we are most anxious tohave this building for our activities.

HELP!Genius Wanted

Somewhere in this vast organization ofours, there must be someone who can createa cartoon strip for Headway. That personmust have talent, desire, drive and awillingness to work for the fun of it.

Anyone interested in fame and prestige asa cartoonist, please write Bill Weimer, 6thfloor, 425 So. Main St., Los Angeles, CA90013.

Two EmployeesReceive MBA Degrees

Art Rahmani, labor relations associate,and Ralph de la Cruz, prinicipal analyst inadministration, received MBA's degreefrom Pepperdine University in Decembergraduation ceremonies.

Art and Ralph earned their degrees un-der RTD's Tuition Reimbursement Programwhile working full-time at the District. Thetwo-year program started with 15 can-didates. Art and Ralph were two of the fivewho actually completed the program.

Art has been with the District three yearsand Ralph started with the District in 1972.

The firm of Wilbur Smith & Associateshas been contracted to research the trafficpatterns and travel demands in the area,and to recommend service improvements.The research will include surveys of em-ployees working in the area as well as in-terviews of transit riders on board buses.The consultants will analyze the data, andproduce a series of transit plans that meetthe system's goals. The plans will then bebrought directly to the community—tolocal residents as well as representativesof municipal planning departments andelected officials—for discussion andsuggestions.

The refined recommendations are sub-sequently presented to the transit boardfor final approval. The District's staff willthen be directed to implement the programwithin the established manpower, equip-ment and funding constraints.

Division 12 dispatcher Ralph Risola tries to get the exact change while hostessStephanie looks on. Second from left is Edwin Culley, Division 3 dispatcher. Partially hid-den by the wire rack is instructor R. L. Smith.

Page 2

New Cafeteria Off To A Good Start400 Employees Served Daily

During First WeekMonday, January 12, was marked by

another "first" for the District when thenew employee cafeteria swung intooperation. The cafeteria, to which allDistrict employees are welcome, is locatedon the third floor of the new TransitBuilding at 425 So. Main Street.

The cafeteria is operated on a con-cession basis by Saga Food Systems andoffers full hot and cold meals as well assnacks, fruits, pastries, salads and drinks.

"This cafeteria provides all employee'ssomething we did not have at 1060, aplace to meet for breaks and lunch in aroomy, pleasant atmosphere," JohnWilkens, Manager of Employee Relationsnoted. "Also, there is the added plus thatmost of the proceeds from the cafeteria, aswell as from the vending machines, will gotowards support of the employeerecreational program being established."

The cafeteria is open from 7:30 a.m. to3:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Forbreakfast, there are cold cereals, sand-wiches, pastries and donuts. Lunchtime isfrom 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with threeentrees, four hot sandwiches and four coldsandwiches. Also offered is a salad bar,assorted salads, soups, chili and desserts.After 2 o'clock, there is service on snacks.

By the end of the week, the cafeteriaseemed to be off to a good start, with, ac-cording to the Saga Food Systems, 400people going through the cafeteria line forboth meals and snacks daily.

Operating the cafeteria for Saga FoodSystems are Stephanie, the hostess andcashier, and Janie, the manager.

According to Janie and Stephanie, thesalad bar is a very big hit with the Districtemployees. Also high on the list, with a fastturnover, are puddings, ice cream, hot san-dwiches, and hot dogs, served differentlyevery day of the week. In addition, Districtemployees drink a lot of milk.

The girls observe that District employeesare not big eaters and that both men andwomen seem to be diet-conscious. Theynote, however, the women seem to be thebiggest diet-breakers and will comethrough the line during their breaks forsweet snacks.

Stephanie and Janie also mention thatDistrict employees are very friendly andnot shy about asking questions—about thefood, the ingredients, the cafeteria oper-ations—and both Stephanie and Janie likethat.

According to Janie, "We welcome thefeedback because it helps us to betterserve the employees when we know whatthey want."

Long-time RTD employees, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Venable, check out the cafeteriamenu. Jessie is a senior invoice clerk in the Accounting Department and has worked forthe District since 1956. Richard is a senior mileage clerk in the Schedule Department whohas been here since 1943.

Love Story: RTD StylePaul Caronna and Barbara Godin, both of

the Department of Passenger Services, gotmarried on Friday, January 2, in Las Vegas.Paul, senior passenger agent, and Barbara,passenger agent, met each other threeyears ago when Paul came to work as abus operator. Barbara had been working atthe District since 1966.

The couple began quietly dating about ayear ago and even more quietly becameengaged last spring—so quietly, in fact,that the wedding announcement tookeveryone, including their many friends inthe District, totally by surprise.

The new couple resides in Arleta.

The cafeteria has been a busy place ever since it began operation. The walls of thecafeteria are a cream color, and the carpet has a dark red and burnt-orange pattern.

Three RTD ladies stop at the condiment table before sampling their entrees. From left,are: Gladys Hudson, accounts clerk; Rosyln Bragg, accountant and Deedie Campbell,typist-clerk in the Employment Office.

Paul and Barbara pose for a 'family portrait' in the Department of Passenger Services.Their desks are now separated only by a file cabinet and some space. Previously, theywere on the third and fourth floor. Needless to say, they like this arrangement much bet-ter.

Recreational Questionnaire1. Would you be interested in participating in a District sponsored Employee

Recreational Program? Yes No2. Would you be willing to serve on an Advisory Council for the program?

Yes No ___3. Which of the following activities are you interested in, and would you be in-

terested in supervising those activities? Yes No

Please check the activities you are interested in:

Annual PicnicChristmas DanceArt Show

___ Bus Rodeo___ Decathlon____ Bowling League

Softball League__Soccer League

Crafts____ Volleyball Tournament

Glee ClubLittle Theatre GroupOrchestraGolf AssociationGolf TournamentTennis ClubTennis TournamentChess ClubChess TournamentCheckers ClubCheckers TournamentTable Tennis ClubTable Tennis Tournament

Domino ClubDomino TournamentSki ClubBicycle ClubBicycle TouringNight at the TheatreNight at the Dodger Ballgame

____ Night at the Ice Hockey GameNight at the Football GameNight at the Concert

- Night at the Basketball Game- Night at Disneyland

Night at Knotts Berry FarmNight at Busch GardensNight at Magic Mountain

- Night at Lion Country SafariOther Activities:

Name Badge No. Department or Division

In MemoriamClassificationFormer Operator 3204 (Ret)Former Mechanic "A" 3313 (Ret)Former Mechanic "A" 3314 (Ret)Former Insurance Clerk 6200 (Ret)Former Mechanic "A" 3308 (Ret)Former Clerk 7100 (Ret)Former Operator 3203 (Ret)Former Shop Clerk 3309 (Ret)Former Operator 3203 (Ret)Former Operator 3206 (Ret)

Deceased1/11/761/18/761/15/7612/31/751/6/7612/31/7512/24/7512/28/751/3/7612/20/75

BILL WEIMERTO : Recreation Program Coordinator

425 S. MAIN ST.. 6TH FLOOR

DOMINO DOUBLES TOURNAMENTENTRY FORM

YOUR NAME

PARTNER'S NAME

DIV./DEPT

WORK PHONE

BADGE NO

BADGE NO

This form is for those employees who have nothad access to the domino displays at their worklocations. If you have already filled out and sent inan entry blank please disregard this one.

Douglass (second from right), who is in charge of the operation, explains to severalDivision 7 operators how the division will look when completed.

From left are operators D. M. Benavidez; R. Lopez; P. N. Ferraro; R. Wong; and L. A.Dor sett.

A front-end loader and a bottom-dump trailer are part of the site grading being done forwhat will eventually be the new $5.5 million Division 7 in West Hollywood.

Page 3

Moving UpAll RTD employees who have not yet filled out the recreation program questionnairesthat were mailed to their homes recently are urged to fill out this questionnaire and send itin as soon as possible to Bill Weimer, 6th Floor, 425 So. Main, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

Remember, a successful recreation program will depend on how well it meets therecreational needs of the District's employees—and only you can tell us what they are.

If you have already filled out a questionnaire, please disregard this one.

Div/Name Dept.Abeyta, Josephine M. 3244Adkinson, W.D. 3500

Cumberlander, Marion E. 2300

Delgadillo, Ranulfo 3201Eich, Jack J. 3303Fletcher, Raymond W. 3318Hart, Richard 3203Jones, Carl E. 3210Perry, Kenneth L. 3318Zamora, Oscar A. 3314

Div./Name Dept.Bayerle, Nicholas C. 3208Bobo, William Norman 3202Cappello, Louis 3202DeBrunner, Marvin M. 3218Goebel, Eugene L. 3209Herrera, Abel J. 3309Horst, John K. 3244Kornder, Roland Waite 3303O'Connor, Emmett A. 6201

NameAllenby, James R.Balthrope, Otis C.Campos, Antonio R.Crowley, Bertha P.Goddard, Raymond H.Grenke, AmeliaMelcher, George H.Robb, James C.Srack, Francis L.Verret, Earday P.

From/To DateTicket Clerk To Ticket Agent 1/11/76Operator-Extra Schedule Checker To 1/18/76Schedule CheckerEqual Employment Opportunity Rep. I 1/5/76To Equal Employment Opportunity Rep. IIOperator To Operator-Extra Special Agent 1/6/76Mechanic "A" To Mechanic "A" Leadman 1/18/76Mechanic "A" To Mechanic "A" Leadman 1/11/76Operator To Operator-Extra Special Agent 1/7/76Operator To Operator-Extra Special Agent 1/5/76Mechanic "A" To Mechanic "A" Leadman 1/11/76Mechanic "A" To Mechanic "A" Leadman 1/11/76

RetiredClassification DateOperator 6/14/35-1/10/76Operator 10/11/45-1/15/76Operator 1/14/43-1/15/76Operator 10/9/33-1/9/76Operator 11/29/46-1/5/76Mechanic "A" 2/19/53-1/2/76Ticket Clerk 4/29/43-12/31/75Mechanic "A" Leadman 9/5/46-1/5/76Former Operator 8/12/47-1/1/76Trans. to Ind. Leave10-5-75

maintenance facilities, transportation de-partment offices and trainroom, fuel andvacuuming facilities and bus washer.

flit The four-island fuel pump, the vac-uming facility and the bus washer will be

similar to the ones at El Monte's Division 9.However, the transportation and main-tenance facilities in the new division will becombined under one roof.

Maintenance offices will be on the firstfloor and the transportation department of-fices and trainroom will be on the mez-zanine level. The third and fourth levels willbe devoted to employee and companyparking: the two levels will provide space

for 220 employee cars, with another 40spaces at street level east of the building.

The entire complex will be professionallylandscaped. Most importantly, the newmaintenance facility will house 260 buses,68 more than the present'facility, with theshop area alone larger than a football field.

The new division will occupy 4.1 acresmore than the old Division 7. The additionalland for the expansion was made throughan exchange of property with the DesignCenter which adjoins the present Division7, with the District compensating theDesign Center for the additional value ofthe land.

Division 7 (Continued From Page 1)

Page 4

Franklin Lonning:A Good Man With A "Shopsmith"

Basics Of Personal SafetyStressed At

"Lady Beware" PresentationFranklin Lonning, stops and zones

representative, has a reputation among hisfriends for getting things done. Things likebuilding cabinets, constructing rooms andpatios, remodeling kitchens, doing formicaand masonry work, and pouring concrete.He has even built houses and multipledwellings.

Franklin has done numerous projects forhis friends and co-workers at the District.His reputation has spread by word ofmouth. One person tells another; Frankgets asked to do something—and he can'tsay no.

After years of doing things for hisfriends, Franklin recently decided to dosomething for himself, so he built an ad-dition to his home in Baldwin Park. But itwas not your ordinary addition: rather, thiswas a 440 square foot open beam ceiling.Not only that, but he also put up a rockveneer front on his house, doing all therock work himself. And, then, just to finishthings off, he put on a heavy wood shakeroof and repainted the entire house. Theentire project was finished by Christmas,and became a present to his wife, Peggy,who, he says "encourages me in myprojects." Then to celebrate the com-pletion, the Lonning's threw a big NewYear's party for their friends and co-workers in the new room.

According to Franklin, it took him 11/2years to complete the project in his sparetime. Franklin figures he spent $3,000 inmaterials, but says, "I didn't have to borrowa single penny to do it". Franklin did mostof the labor himself, but credits his 1 9-yearold son, Frank, for being very helpful whenanother man was needed.

Franklin's building and constructing hob-by is, he says, "completely self-taught. Itstarted when I bought a shopsmith in 1948and just started working on it." He still usesthe same shopsmith.

Franklin, who came to work at theDistrict in 1946 as a motorman, right afterhe got out of the Navy, says that he wantedto work in transportation, and never con-sidered working in construction because itwas an unsteady trade. At the District healso worked as a bus operator, an in-structor, a division clerk and a supervisor,before joining the stops and zones sectionfour years ago.

When asked why he is so generous withhis time, he replied, "I enjoy doing thingsfor people, especially my friends."

A group of RTD women employees listen attentively as two officers from the L.A.P.D.discuss techniques of personal safety which women can apply to their everyday lives.

This is how Franklin's house looks afterhe remodelled it.

RTD women employees who workdowntown in the Transit Building recentlyattended a "Lady Beware" program; aseminar in self-defense and personalsafety offered by the Los Angeles PoliceDepartment. The seminar focused on howwomen can avoid getting into dangeroussituations, and what they can do when con-fronted by such situations.

Three officers from the LAPD began thesession by showing a film entitled "LadyBeware". The 17-minute color film whichwas narrated by actress Shirley Jonesstressed the basics of personal safety.

First and foremost, the film urged womento cultivate an awareness of danger whenwalking or living alone. The key word in thefilm was safe, and the film explained thateach of the letters in safe stood forsomething:S - for secure at home and in the carA - avoid dangerous placesF -flee from dangerous situations, andE - engage, if necessary - fight when

cornered

Security at home involves simple basiccommon sense, such as having securelocks installed by a specialist; never lettinga stranger into your home without checkingidentification and credentials; installing apeephole and observing carefully for a laterdescription if necessary.

A large part of home safety included notgiving away information innocently over thephone: never admit to a caller, no matterhow pleasant or official he sounds, that youare alone and what your address is.Women are urged also to list theirtelephone number by their initial rather than

first name to avoid giving an idea of theirsex and, if necessary, to put up a phonyroommate's name on the door or mailbox.

Security in the car means locking cardoors, using a small flashlight to checkyour car, not parking in dark or out-of-the-way places, and if possible, gettingsomeone to walk with you to where the careis parked.

The film also stressed using commonsense and trusting your instincts. Iffrightened, women are urged to run, andnot to think of hurt feelings or of disturbingthe neighbors or feeling embarrassed."Where your personal safety might bejeopardized, the only person you shouldthink of is yourself," says the film.

If a woman is confronted by someone ina car, she can cross the street or walk inthe opposite direction. She should neverget close to a strange car to give direc-tions, and should ignore catcalls andwhistles.

In the question and answer sessions thatfollowed, women employees discussedother ways of shaking off would-beassailants. These included faking a fit orfainting. Kicking an assailant in the shins orthe groin was noted as being especially ef-fective, as was pushing your hands orfingers into his eyes and face.

The film and the officers, however, bothstressed the fact that the first and foremostrule was to be aware, alert, avoid dan-gerous situations, keep your head—and bedetermined to survive.

The "Lady Beware" program will be op,

rescheduled in the near future for allfemale bus operators and division stenos.

Franklin did all of the rock veneer workhimself.

Getting Married? Having An Anniversary?A New Arrival in the Family?

Let Headway know what's happening with you and your familyIt doesn't take a formal letter—

just a short note stating the facts:

• Who • Work Location • When • What • Where

Jot down the information and anything elseyou would like to add and then send your news to:

Headway6th Floor, 425 South Main Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

REMEMBER. Headway is your paper!

Southern California Rapid Transit District425 So. Main Street, 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013 U.S. POSTAGE

paidFIRST CLASS

Los Angeles, Calif.Permit No. 32705

HERD it WRYVolume 3 Number 2Published by and for the employees ofthe Southern California Rapid TransitDistrict. Send stories, photos, or just thefacts to Daria Schlega, HEADWAY,6th Floor. 425 So. Main Street, LosAngeles, CA 90013.