[PRCo] lets not forget

[Harold Geissenheimer]

Greetings

Lets not forget others who made PAT work.

David Brown, President and owner of Community Transit (any my boss)
  became Asst to John Dameron for several years.  He created the
  uniform driver seniority where people fit in according to date of
hire.
  Never a law suit or a complaint.  Prevented Div 85 men from a complete

  takeover.  Other drivers had right too.  Community had drivers who
  started in 1937 when the West Penn quit in Tarentum.  Penn Transit.
  Oriole and Brentwood among others also had many old drivers.
  One of the best men I ever worked for.  He only had a high school
  education in Hickory, Pa.  Became a Blue Ridge-Penn Bus driver about
1937,
  then union chief, then Blue Ridge Manager, then founder of Community
  Transit in Bridgeville in 1950, then PAT in 1964.  A good friend of
  Harley Swift.  One of the few owners who favored the creation of PAT.

John Davidson, Maintenance Mgr at Tarentum and then Harmar.
   Ex Community Transit, ex Harmony Short Line, ex Butler Short Line.
   Started in the Mars interurban shop!  He created many of PAT's
   highest maintenance standards and made Harmar the leader of all
   PAT garages.  Collier, also Community Transit, was second.

Leonard Bruno, Driver, ex Montour Motor Coach, Carnegie Coach (also
   owner) and then PAT.  He was one of PAT's highest seniority drivers.
   A good friend, lived in Carnegie.  His wife, Ida, was a nurse and
helped
   give National Guard physicals in the 1950's.  Quiet and the best
driver.
   Community's oldest driver was Sam Bardona (Bardona Road on Rt 8).
   He dated to the end of the interurban in 1932

Not all acquired owners and managers wanted to come to PAT.  The owners
of Ohio River (one of the best outfits), Horrell, Shafer (other than the
son in laws
and Roy Behling), Oriole (other than Otto Behling), Penn Transit (other
than Ed
Burton) did not want to join PAT.  These were good operators and would
have been welcome.  Sonny Markitel of Trafford formed a school bus
company, Mark lines,
that lasted many years.

The independent lines contributed many outstanding people to PAT..They
were
independent people not confined to the restictions of PRC ownership and
management,

And of course, credit Harley Swift, ex Harrisburg Railways, and Judge
Loran Lewis
in putting PAT together.  My year with Harley was a wonderful
experience.

So much for the past.  John Mauro became ED in 1970 and was also a
wonderful
boss.  He made the trolley improvements possible.  He went to San Mateo
in
1975 when Mayor Flaherty was against PAT.  John was a Tarentum boy, ex
news reporter, Director of PghCity Planning, and member of URA and the
Stadium
Authority.  He brought the US Steel building  and the Three Rivers
Stadium to
Pittsburgh and saved the William Penn Hotel.

Credit also County Commission Chairmen McClelland and Stacey for
supporting
PAT.  Stacey was an outstanding poliical leader and became a judge.  He
was blind.

Many people helped start PAT.  I think we all did a good job.  The
community
wanted to consolidate every thing and the die was cast.

Harold Geissenheimer