Mayer Horn

Although I worked in the Engineering Department during the summers of 1960 and 1961 while in college, and then in the Aviation Department in 1982-1983 - all three experiences being entirely positive - it was in the early 1970s when I was working at the Tri-State Regional Planning Commission that I not only got to work closely with a number of PA people, but where I functioned as a conduit for federal funds to the PA which I thought was the first time the PA received federal funds. (Bob Isaacs mentioned earlier aviation funding from the feds.) I managed a federally funded demonstration program which consisted of a number of projects, at least two of which were managed by PA staff: The phenomenally successful XBL project managed by Lee Goodman and Carl Selinger in Planning and Development and a Bus Priority and Transportation Management Project managed by Bob Foote, Bob Hauslen, Al Gonseth (with whom I also interfaced when he was in P&D), Carroll White, Ron Cunningham, etc.; they were in Tunnels & Bridges Research (before T&B merged with Terminals to become TB&T). There were many people in P&D with whom I dealt in my Tri-State years and who I fondly remember. Did you know that the (first?) head of P&D - Roger Gilman - was the first executive director of Tri-State, on loan from the PA?

On 9/11, my (now late) wife, Adrienne, and I were in Boston at an IBTTA annual meeting with Ken Philmus. Ken has kidded me many times afterwards about how many times I heard his story. I remember going to lunch subsequently, not with Ken, but with his mentor, Ernesto Butcher and commenting on the address of his office on (I believe) East 18th Street: 111. That had been, of course, the original PAB on 8th Avenue.

As the PA Aviation Planning Division was the last place I worked that was part of the NYS Retirement System, that system considers me a PA retiree (although I am apparently not entitled to any PA benefits). Hence, when in south FL, I carpool to PARA lunches with Bob Isaacs and Paul Shulman. Perhaps, one day I will get to one of the PARA lunches in the NY-NJ area.