Letter received fom: Lloyd Clark, 27 February 1990, To: Rob Bohannan.
Regarding the history of the Arizona Rail Passenger Association –
I checked my 1976 Daybook. It showed an entry for Friday, November 12th, whereby Charles Montooth and I met for lunch at the Golden Eagle (atop Valley Bank Center [now the Chase building -- 2007, Ed.]) and discussed formation of a regional rail passenger organization.
A press release (copy, ANNEX A) was issued. The meeting place had to be changed after Amtrak notified us that the train could not stop at Picacho because of SP’s decision (see notice, ANNEX B). The organizational meeting was held on 22 January 1977 in Tucson (ANNEX C). Names of the persons attending are shown on ANNEX D.
Subsequently, the name: Rail Passenger Association of the Southwest (RPAS) was adopted, with Arizona, New Mexico, and the El Paso area of Texas to be its geographical area.
Hope this is the information you wanted.
Best Regards, [signed, Lloyd]
Also enclosed, press photo: “Observance of Rail Passenger Week in Arizona (17-23 April 1978) was proclaimed by Governor Bruce Babbit, who urged all persons ‘to consider the benefits of traveling by railroad.’ From left are W. A. Ordway, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation; State Sen. Sue Dye, president of the Rail Passenger Associaton of the Southwest, and Charles Montooth, a director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.”
ANNEX A — PRESS RELEASE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS LOCAL MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 22 [1977]
A gathering of railroad passengers interested in traveling in and across Arizona by train is being planned for Jan. 22. The meeting will be at 9 a.m. that Saturday at Francisco Grande Hotel, Casa Grande, according to Charles Montooth of Scottsdale.
Montooth — regional director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers — said the meeting is open to anyone interested in rail travel. Slides of various railroad accommodations will be shown, and proposed improvements and scheduling will be discussed, Montooth stated.
In keeping with the spirit of the meeting AMTRAK has agreed to stop its eastbound train at Picacho that morning so a group of NARP members from the Phoenix area may be discharged. A chartered bus will take the group from Picacho to Francisco Grande, he said.
The eastbound train departs Phoenix Union Station at 7 a.m. that Saturday, and the group will have breakfast on the diner en route — arriving at Picacho around 8 a.m. A delegation from Tucson is expected to join the gathering at Francisco Grande, but will travel by auto, Montooth noted, as the westbound train out of Tucson does not pass Picacho until after nightfall.
Persons interested in making reservations (at $25 per individual) for the train ride from Phoenix, the luncheon, and the charter bus from Picacho to Francisco Grande and return to Phoenix Union Station may call Montooth’s office at Taliesin West, 948-6400.
