Arthur Winston
Encyclopedia
Arthur Winston was a Los Angeles
Metro
employee for 76 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 (that being for his wife's funeral).
before it became a state. His first job was at the age of 10 as a cotton picker. 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.
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 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 busyard in Leimert Park (SB-5; Arthur Winston/Midcities) was named in his honor in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Metro
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
employee for 76 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 (that being for his wife's funeral).
Biography
As a boy Winston was born and grew up in OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
before it became a state. His first job was at the age of 10 as a cotton picker. 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.
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
Southern California Rapid Transit District
The Southern California Rapid Transit District , was the successor to the original Metropolitan Transit Authority after it virtually went bankrupt...
created in 1964, and as it is known today Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority "Metro" created in 1993.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
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
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
has ever chronicled. He worked for 72 years without ever being late, and only took a single day off work (in 1988 for the funeral of his wife Frances).
Winston died of heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
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 busyard in Leimert Park (SB-5; Arthur Winston/Midcities) was named in his honor in Los Angeles.