Arizona Rail Passenger Association

The 2010 Board of Directors – Nominees

ROB BOHANNAN Mr. Bohannan is a rail transportation planner and consultant; he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and 20 years of transportation- related experience. He has prepared rail and transit plans for various areas in Arizona and the Southwest. He is the former general manager of a short line railroad and also operated a shuttle service between Phoenix and Flagstaff that connected with the Southwest Chief . Mr. Bohannan has been a member of ARPA and its predecessor association, the Rail Passenger Association of the Southwest since 1978, and is currently president of the Association.

ROY E. BURRIS III A member since 1992, Mr. Burris has participated in ARPA functions, including Phoenix Union Station Days ’93, the ICE Train Exposition, and the TALGO Demo Train.  Mr. Burris is a PC Support Specialist with the City of Glendale and also is an Information Systems Technical First Class in the United States Navy Reserves.  As a resident of Surprise, Mr. Burris supports the City Council’s resolution to promote commuter rail on the BNSF rail line.

W. EUGENE CAYWOOD A long time member from Tucson, Mr. Caywood has been active in the development of rail passenger transit in the Tucson area. He is one of the founders and current Chairman of the Board of Old Pueblo Trolley. He has been a member of the City of Tucson’s Citizen Transportation Committee since its founding in 1980 and has been involved most major transportation corridor studies performed in Tucson during that time. He is employed by Parsons Brinckerhoff as a Transit and Roadway Facilities Planner and Designer. He has served as ARPA’s Liaison for Southern Arizona since he joined ARPA.

NATHAN C. COOLEY Mr. Cooley practices law in Mesa, Arizona and is the son of Jeffry Cooley, who retired from the ARPA Board to conduct missionary work overseas for his  church.  Before opening his own law firm, Mr. Cooley served a Deputy County Attorney in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.  He holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor degree from ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.  He recently obtained  a Masters Degree in Real Estate Development and conducted exhaustive market study and financial analysis for hypothetical residential and commercial development projects during his studies.  Mr. Cooley is a proactive supporter of commuter rail in the East Valley as well as Phoenix-Tucson passenger rail service.

KEN DRIGGS Mr. Driggs is a Senior Transportation Planner for the TranSystems Corporation, a civil engineering firm focused on infrastructure and facility design, computer simulation and economic impact analysis for transportation-related and other engineering project.  Mr. Driggs retired from the Regional Public Transportation Authority in the metro Phoenix area in early 2005, having joined the agency in 1986 as Chief Financial Officer. He was promoted to Executive Director in 1989 and served in that position until his retirement. He was instrumental in implementing the transit initiatives passed by voters in the valley, and Proposition 400 in 2004.

ANTHONY HASWELL Mr. Haswell’s association with the rail industry began in 1958 with two years’ service in the Legal Department of the Illinois Central Railroad. In 1967, he founded the National Association of Railroad Passengers, serving as its Chairman and Executive Director through 1974. During this time, he was deeply involved in the development, refinement and enactment of the legislation that created Amtrak, testifying before numerous congressional committees and working closely with committee staff. From 1975 to 1977, he was Managing Director of Passenger Services of the Rock Island Railroad, where he assisted with the transfer of the company’s Chicago commuter trains to the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. Mr. Haswell first visited Arizona in 1936, and since 1991 has been a permanent resident of Tucson.

GENE HOLMERUD With ancestors who worked for railroads, Gene has been a rail enthusiast as long as he can remember, and has been an ARPA member for more than a decade. He was promoting rail solutions to our transportation issues even before joining ARPA. Currently he is an Operation Lifesaver Presenter and is the Educations Vice-President for the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists. In that position, he is involved in Rail Safety and Access for Bicyclists. He represents that group ont he Southwest rail Corridor Coalition. METRO Light Rail  uses a photo of him and his bicycle on their safety flier. His efforts at affecting governmental policy have included trips to the 2008 and 2009 National Bike Summits in Washington D.C., and he has testified twice to the Arizon

FRANK F. HUTCHESON was born in Tucson to a railroad family, and worked for Southern Pacific 10 years, advancing from common laborer to Assistant District Diesel Electric Supervisor. He advanced from Patrolman to Captain in Arizona’s Department of Public Safety over a career of 29 years. Mr. Hutcheson holds degrees from U. of A. in Public Administration and Education, and has taught part time 11 years at community colleges in Pima and Maricopa Counties. A Scottsdale resident for 25 years, he is Past President of the Arizona Chapter, NRHS, and a lifetime member of the Arizona Rail Museum.

L. S. (Jake) JACOBSON Mr. Jacobson served 29 years with the Union Pacific Railroad and is today President and Chief Operating Officer of the Copper Basin Railway, Inc., of Hayden, Arizona. He was named Railroader of the Year by Railway Age in 1994, and Railroader of the Century in 2000, and has upheld a high standard for railroad safety. Indeed, the American Shortline Railroad Association’s safety award is named after him: the Jake Awards. Mr Jacobson has long supported efforts to improve railroads in Arizona.

WILLIAM LINDLEY A native of the Northeast, Mr. Lindley is a longtime believer in public transportation, the viability of intercity passenger trains, and regional rail. Mr. Lindley has served as Editor for the Association’s newsletter since 1993, and created and continually updates the ARPA web page (http://www.azrail.org). He has represented Arizona at rail passenger conferences in Washington, Dallas, St. Louis, and Santa Fe. Mr. Lindley is a computer consultant.

RICHARD MALCOLM A member since 1982, Dr. Malcolm has served the Association since its inception. He has served as a Director and was President for six years. His leadership resulted in such events as Phoenix Union Station Days in 1991 and 1993, and the placing of Association literature in numerous public places around the state. He was President of the Colorado Association of Railroad Passengers from 1968 to 1970.

SAM MORSE Mr. Morse has been an urban planner and landscape architect since 1954. In 1991, he was appointed by the Phoenix City Council to serve on the Citizens Advisory Community for the Regional Public Transportation Authority. That experience spurred his interest in rail passenger transportation for Arizona, and he has worked actively in ARPA for over two years. Currently, Mr. Morse is the immediate past President of ARPA and spearheads the Association’s extensive efforts to have regional passenger service established in Arizona.

AL RICHMOND Mr. Richmond is a historian and ­author with emphasis on railroads and the Colorado Plateau. He is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant with a twenty-seven year career in Pararescue. He then served as Colorado Plateau Projects Liaison to the national parks and monuments in his second twenty-year career with Northern Arizona University. He has also served as the Grand Canyon Railway historian since its rebirth. Currently Mr. Richmond is President of the Arizona State Railroad Museum Foundation and spearheads the drive for its establishment to Williams, Arizona. He is a member of the Grand Canyon Chapter, NRHS and a strong supporter of railroad historic preservation.

JAY SMYTH Mr. Smyth has been a Phoenix area resident for 25 years. He is a graduate engineer and was employed by Honeywell (Allied­ Signal) where he retired as Senior Principal Engineer. Mr. Smyth serves as Coordinator of the Southwest Rail Coalition (SWRC) and is active in several other community organizations including the Arizona Rail Passenger Association. Mr. Smyth has been an active supporter of rail passenger service and is a long-time member of the National Rail Passenger Association.

LELA STEFFEY A longtime supporter of the Association as State Representative and Senator, Ms. Steffey introduced an Arizona Rail Authority bill in 1994. Although the bill was defeated, she has maintained her commitment to rail. She was instrumental in the creation of the 1994 Arizona Rail Task Force, which influenced the creation of the Phoenix-Tucson High Speed Rail Task Force in 1998.