RSVP:
info@ashbyvillage.org
When:
Thursday, Sept 23, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Where: Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85475884446?pwd=VXFqc3gwTGxGRDJKWitRMDZianRDUT09
Meeting ID: 854 7588 4446
Passcode: BART
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 9128
Meeting ID: 854 7588 4446
Open to:
All
Co-Presented by The Events Team and the Science and Ideas Group:
BART - A Dramatic History
Michael Healy will discuss the early origins of BART, actually going back to the late 1800s and a beloved San Francisco character, Emperor Norton; then an emerging Bay Area during post World War II years, the fall of the Key System, and creation of BART in 1957 by the state legislature after years of study by a transit commission. His talk will take us through the financing, the turbulent early years of pushback, law suits and finally the construction years, the grand opening, and eventual expansion of the original system during the 1990s and early in the new millennium. He will also touch on high-speed rail, and Elan Musk’s Hyperloop.
Michael C. Healy was head of Media & Public Affairs at BART for 32 years. In that capacity, he had three divisions under him: Public Information, Marketing and Research, and Customer Service. He also served as chief spokesperson for the transit district. During his tenure, he also chaired the Washington-based American Public Transportation Association’s Public Affairs and Community Relations sub-committee. Upon his retirement from BART in 2005 his name was entered into the U.S Congressional Record, by the late Representative Ellen Tauscher, and he was congratulated for his service on the floor of the House. He is the author of BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System.
Prior to joining BART he lived on a houseboat in Sausalito and was managing editor of Marin Guide Publications, a semi-weekly newspaper in Marin County. He has also worked for CBS at Television City in Hollywood, and as a contract writer in New York on the radio side. Healy has a Bachelor of Science Degree from USC and is an FCC-licensed radio engineer. He makes his home in the Montclair District of Oakland with his wife Joan and their dog, Bella.
And here’s a story Michael did some time back for Oakland and Alameda magazines:
Old BART Cars to Find New Home
https://www.alamedamagazine.com/old-bart-cars-to-find-new-home