Arthur Winston

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Arthur Winston
Born	March 22, 1906 Okemie, Oklahoma Territory
Died	April 13, 2006 Los Angeles, California
Cause of death	Heart Failure
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Employers	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Title	Bus Maintenance Supervisor
Known for	Awarded "Employee of the Century" by President Bill Clinton
Spouse	Frances Smith

Arthur Winston (March 22, 1906 – April 13, 2006) was a Los Angeles Metro employee for 72 years. He is best known for being honored as the "Employee of the Century" because he was never late to work and only took one day off during his entire career.

[edit] Biography

As a boy Winston was born and grew up in Oklahoma before it became a state, but in 1918 his family moved west to California because of dust storms ruining their crops. He graduated from LA's Jefferson High School in 1922.

He began working in 1924 for the Los Angeles Railway. His hourly salary was 41 cents an hour. "We ate and slept. You couldn't get rich on that, but you lived," Winston told KNX Newsradio.

In 1925, he married Frances Smith. The couple had four children and five grandchildren.

He stayed with the agency through its name changes, starting from the Los Angeles Railway which became Los Angeles Transit Lines in 1945, to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority created in 1958, the Southern California Rapid Transit District created in 1964, and as it is known today Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority "Metro" created in 1993.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded him with an "Employee of the Century" citation for his work ethic and dedication. He is the most reliable worker that the United States Department of Labor has ever chronicled. He worked for 72 years without ever being late, and only took a single single day off work (in 1988 for the funeral of his wife Frances).

Winston died of heart failure in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles on April 13, 2006 at around 8:00 p.m., less than one month after his retirement.

He attributed his work ethic to his upbringing, asserting that his father taught him the value of hard work at an early age. Upon his retirement on his 100th birthday, he stated that he was planning to visit his 98-year-old brother in Tennessee and had the intention of remaining active in various endeavors. "I'm going to keep active. I can't afford to just sit down. I wouldn't do that," he said. "I don't drink and I don't smoke, so I feel alright."

The Arthur Winston Busyard (Division 5 in South Bay) was named in his honor in Los Angeles.