Arthur Winston
*Arthur Winston was born on this date in 1906. He was a Black custodian and a Los Angeles Metro employee for 72 years.
Born and raised in Oklahoma territory, Winston began picking cotton when he was 10. However, several harvests were lost to droughts and storms, forcing the family to head west when he was 12 years old. He graduated from Los Angeles's Jefferson High School in 1922. Winston’s hourly salary was 41 cents an hour when he began work for the Pacific Electric Railway Co. in 1924.
One year later, he married Frances Smith. The couple had four children and five grandchildren. He stayed with the same company despite the 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, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, "Metro," created in 1993.
He attributed his work ethic to his upbringing, declaring that his father taught him the value of hard work at an early age. On his 100th birthday, he announced his retirement, stating that he was planning to visit his 98-year-old brother in Tennessee and intending to remain active in various endeavors.
He was the most reliable worker the United States Department of Labor has ever documented. He worked for 72 years without ever being late and had only taken off a single day (in 1988 for the funeral of his wife, Frances). 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded him an "Employee of the Century" citation for his work ethic and dedication.
The Arthur Winston Bus Yard (Division 5 in South Bay) was named in his honor in Los Angeles. Winston died of heart failure in his sleep at his home on April 13, 2006, less than one month after his retirement.
