Arthur Winston

Arthur Winston
Born March 22, 1906
Okemie, Oklahoma Territory
Died April 13, 2006 (aged 100)
Los Angeles, California
Cause of death
 Heart Failure
Residence Los Angeles, California
Employer Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Known for Awarded "Employee of the Century" by President Bill Clinton
Title Bus Maintenance Supervisor
Spouse(s) Frances Smith (1925-1989, her death, 4 children)

Arthur Winston (March 22, 1906 – April 13, 2006) was a Los Angeles Metro employee for 76 years. He is best known for being honored as the "Employee of the Century" by the U.S. Department of Labor because he was never late to work and only took one day off during his entire career (that being for his wife's funeral). She died in 1989 after 64 years of marriage.

Biography

As a boy Arthur was born and grew up in Oklahoma before it became a state. His first job was at the age of 10 as a cotton picker.[1] 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 then began working for the Los Angeles Railway for four years before quitting because a black man could not drive a bus.

However, he returned to work in January 1934 for the Los Angeles Railway, and worked there continuously until his 100th birthday on March 22, 2006, missing only one day of work when his wife died. His hourly salary was originally 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, a number of great-grandchildren and a great-great grandson. They were married for 64 years until her death in 1989, she was 82.

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 day off work (in 1989 for the funeral of his wife Frances).

Arthur died of heart failure peacefully in his sleep at his great-granddaughter's home in Los Angeles on April 13, 2006 at around 8:00 p.m., less than one month after his retirement. He is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.

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 busyard in Leimert Park (SB-5; Arthur Winston/Midcities) was named in his honor in Los Angeles.

References

  1. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=CTkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=MTA+62+years&source=bl&ots=4FwdgGFOwY&sig=gvMPcRGqrY9B0OeibWLSiwja0fk&hl=en&ei=u7LxSobpEY6Xtge4x4m7Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=MTA%2062%20years&f=false

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