(erielack) Important Lackawanna announcement

[Lederer73_@_aol.com]

Hi all..
Just wanted to hope to be the 1st to let you know, 
that Bill Davidson, the last remaining DL&W steam engineer will be retiring 
on January 4, 2002 after a remarkable 55 years of service.
Bill is one of the nicest and most knowledgeable Lackawanna people I have 
ever known.  I'm quite certain, that in the USA he is in the top 5 engineers 
currently at his job, for that length of time.. Infact, In my opinion he is 
approximately #2, according to a UTU newsletter that i recently browsed 
through.. This is extrordinary.
He actually hired out on the Erie in 1943, working in a shop. Bill was 
furloughed, and  was then hired by the DL&W on 11-25-1946. He loved the 
Lackawanna, and continues to love what he does.. Knowing Bill, for more than 
half of my life, I want him to have a special retirement... He is a very 
quiet, humble, reserved man, and never had a bad word to say about anyone.. 
This will not only be a rewarding day for him, but also, a tough one.  His 
wife, MaryAnn has asked me, to come forward and let people know about his 
leaving. Because Bill has never been in the spotlight, during his magnificent 
career, I would like to take this opportunity to ask a favor of all of you.. 
If you could just take a moment of your time, to add Bill to your 
Christmas/holiday card list, to congratulate him, I know it would touch him 
very deeply, especially from people in the railroad community, such as 
yourselves that he dosent even know.. This after all, is the end of an era, 
and he is such a nice man. Those of you out there who do know him, such as 
Bill Guimes, Steve Kay, Bob Bahrs, and Mike Delvecchio,and many more, know 
just what a special person he is, and an inspiration to us all..  If you 
would be so kind as to send this card, Bill, and his wife, would be so 
touched.. If you do send one, and you would like to tell him, that I informed 
you, thats fine, or just anonymous, would be fine too.. Thanks to all of you 
for taking the time to read this. 
If you would like to take part in this, please email me at Lederer73_@_aol.com 
and I will quickly email you his address, this way as not to post it on the 
internet.

Thanks again, from me, and Mrs. Davidson

- -Pat Lederer
Conductor, NJT

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