Tag: retiree

Home>News>retiree

June 27 is an important day for Brother Bill Link.

In 1972, it was the day that he began his railroad career. In 2025, it was the day that he officially retired after 53 years of service, the highest Amtrak seniority in the country.  

“I loved it. It’s like riding on a rolling treasurer chest, if you’re conscious,” reflected Brother Link two weeks into his retirement. “I found out it was the perfect job for me.”

An Abrupt End to Post-Graduation Limbo

After graduating from Lincoln University in the early 1970s, Brother Link wasn’t in a hurry to find a job.

Instead, he was hanging out at the bar with his friends before heading home between three and four o’clock in the morning, just “living life after college.”

Then one morning he woke up to his 6’3”, 300-pound truck-driver father standing over him.  He told him “Boy, if you think you’re gonna be sleeping in my house when I’m going to work after I put you through college, you got another thing coming.”

The next thing Brother Link knew, he was at a job fair in New York City.  

“I said ‘Hell no, I don’t want to county money in a room all my life’ so I went up to Central Park and hung out for an hour or two.”

While he was there, he thought about a suggestion from a neighbor back home about the railroad looking for new hires.

Too Tall to be an Engineer

He vividly remembers taking a test with about 11 other men before being told that he was picked for the premier engineer job but was too tall.

As an African American during the height of the Black Power Movement, Brother Link figured that “reasoning” had something to do with his skin color. But it wasn’t that or physical stature that made him too tall. It was his hair.

He waited in a room for about 20 minutes before someone came in and told him “Mr. Link, if you want a job, come back in one hour without that” and pointed to his afro.

“That was the day the revolution died,” said Brother Link, laughing.

Brother Bill Link (left) at his retirement celebration (Photo courtesy of David Pendleton)

Starting a New Chapter

The day the revolution died was also the birth of Brother Link’s more than five-decades on the rails.

“I was working on freight trains, coal trains, whatever. So I had a mixed career,” he explained. “It wasn’t always on the passenger train, but by the time I got older I got on the passenger train.”

That’s where Brother Link had some of his most impactful experiences.

“The conductor had a lot of roles to play,” he said. “He’s a priest, he’s a policeman, he’s an entertainer. When the train is late, he’s got to keep the people informed and occupied, things like that.”

His last passenger that he talked to before retirement was especially memorable.

“[It] was [singer] Dionne Warwick. She rode the first-class car, and I told her my story about how I’m getting ready to retire.”

The connection that she shares with the railroad is even more memorable: her father was a Pullman Car Porter.

“Can you imagine that?” asked Brother Link. “She was telling me she could always remember two trips that she took. One was to Florida with her father on the train and one to California. She’s the nicest lady.”

Breaking Barriers

Even though he met his fair share of superstars and “shakers and bakers,” Brother Link is most proud of the path that he forged for other African Americans.

“For all we hear in the media and all we hear everywhere, the railroad was very accommodating to race at the time I got hired. There were individuals that were ridiculous, but the railroad as a whole was acceptable.”

Back in the 1970s, his role caught some riders by surprise.

“In my early years on the railroad, African Americans who were 90 years old would come up to me and say ‘Son, we thought we’d never see this day’ when they saw me as a conductor. So I always viewed myself as an ambassador for our race.”

Brother Link was also the first African American to serve as the president of Local 1470.

He received the A. Philip Randolph Lifetime Achievement Award and was presented with the Golden Lantern from SMART-TD upon his retirement. 

Brother Bill Link receives the Golden Lantern at his retirement celebration (Photo courtesy of David Pendleton)

At the end of the day, he attributes his accomplishments to the foundation that his mother laid for him.

“[She was from] the Jim Crow South so she didn’t want to see us boys getting hurt or anything,” explained Brother Link. “She always told us to be humble, caring, kind and courteous. That was the major ingredient for me making it 50 years.”

Honoring a Mentor and Friend

One of the SMART-TD members who already misses Brother Link is Maryland Safety and Legislative Director David Pendleton, who cites him as his first railroad mentor.

“If you looked up the word ‘trailblazer,’ there will probably be a picture of him somewhere in there,” said SLD Pendleton. “When you think of Local 1470, you think of Bill Link. He’s been a mentor to so many of the members, including myself. I became a union officer at his urging.”

His absence from the train for the past couple of weeks has been an adjustment, but SLD Pendleton is excited for his union brother’s next chapter.

“I’m very happy that my friend is finally retiring and enjoying the years of work that he’s done,” he said. “I’ve been on the railroad over 20 years, and these are the first weeks that I’ve ever been there and he’s not there. So it’s just bittersweet for me. But I miss my buddy, no doubt about it.”

Photo courtesy of David Pendleton

At 75 years old, Brother Link is ready for whatever lies ahead, especially after his retirement celebration.

“The Bible says it best. To all things, there’s a season. A time to be born, time to work, time to live, time to retire, time to die. I had my run with the railroad, and the party they gave me is fulfilling for a lifetime.”

Local 12 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) retiree Jeff Matthews was recently announced as the winner of the Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) fall challenge, which asked members to answer the question: “How did you become a SMART member?” Read Brother Matthews’ story below:

“When I was in high school, I knew I was not cut out for college, nor could I afford to go. Trade school for junior and senior years was an option. Of all the class options available, I thought about auto mechanics or auto body repair. Both would be fun for a hobby, [but] not a career, unless I had my own business. There was a heating and air conditioning class I felt was interesting and could lead to a career.

“In my senior year, my instructor was impressed with my aptitude and progress. He suggested for another student and myself to take both the steamfitter and sheet metal apprentice tests.

“I must admit: At age 17, I was not really interested in spending a Saturday of my time and paying a fee to take a test for a sheet metal union I knew nothing about. (At that time, I was unaware of union versus nonunion.)

“Something told me I needed to go through with this. The test was in a University of Pittsburgh lecture hall and filled to capacity. It was a timed test. At the conclusion, I was surprised that there were many participants that did not finish all the questions.

Matthews won a commemorative golden hardhat and a $100 gift card for his story.

“Several weeks later, I received my acceptance letter, which pleased my trade school instructor greatly. During orientation, they asked how many sons, daughters or friends of sheet metal workers there were. I was in the minority of people that didn’t know and/or were not related to a union member. (So goes the myth that you need to be related to or know someone to be accepted into the union.)

“I graduated high school in May and started working for Local 12 on July 1st. Apprentice school started in the fall, and one of the layout books we were using was the same one I used in trade school, so I was familiar with the beginning.

“I worked with great journeyworkers who took time to show me procedures and answer my questions. When I showed interest in following the blueprints and not just the task at hand, they would show me and challenge me to figure out the next step. This, along with my apprentice school training, prepared me to become a foreman once I became a journeyman.

“I have had a very successful career as a sheet metal worker. I was able to provide for my family, take yearly vacations and send my daughter to college (with the help of a union scholarship).

“Without my teacher’s recommendation, this all could not have happened. I’m sure I could have made a living in heating and air conditioning, but it would not been as fulfilling as it has been as a union sheet metal journeyman.

“I am enjoying my retirement thanks to the union pension I paid into throughout my career.”

SMART Local 12 (southwestern Pennsylvania) retiree George MacGregor says that the decision he made to join the union – a decision more than 50 years old – has changed his life for the better, with his union pension providing him “dignity and grace” in his golden years. Read more in his BE4ALL member story:   

“My story started back in 1969. I was working a minimum wage job and was married to my wife at the time. Her father was a union sheet metal worker, a foreman for a union company – and he asked me if I would like to work like him, in the union. So, I decided to go and see if I could work for the union.

“I got in as a permit worker, and I worked on permit for about six months before getting laid off. At that point, I decided to take the test to get in. Out of about 200 applicants, I scored 19th place. Several weeks later, I got a call and was asked if I would like an apprenticeship – so with no hesitation, I said yes.

“The main reasons I became a sheet metal worker were: 1. I wanted to get a better job. 2. I liked working with my hands. 3. I had a future in the union. 4. And there was also the fact that there was a pension in the future. My life was changed for the better, and now I have earned a pension and also earned a decent amount with my social security, so I can stay retired with dignity and grace. I want to thank the SMART International and Local 12 for my pension.”

SM Local 25 (northern New Jersey) President/ Business Manager Joe Demark presented Frank Creegan with a plaque in honor of his 59 years of service, including as a trustee for the local’s Welfare, Annuity & Vacation Funds. Congratulations, brother!

Frank Creegan

Left-Right: Former business manager and William’s son, Ken Greiner; Local 12 member William A. Greiner, aged 93; Business Rep. Geoff Foringer; former Business Rep. Dave Zychowski; Business Rep. Kevin Malley; former Business Manager and William’s son, Bob Greiner; William’s son and Local 12 member Bill Greiner; and William’s grandson and Local 12 member Ben Greiner

Longtime Local 12 (western Pa.) member and former Business Representative William Greiner passed away on March 11, 2023, at the age of 103. Greiner not only led a fulfilling life as a sheet metal worker, a unionist and an engaged retiree; he helped forge a deep personal and familial legacy within SMART.

“The Greiner family has a long, rich history embedded in the fabric of Local 12,” said Local 12 Business Rep. Geoff Foringer. “William had three sons, a son-in-law and two grandsons in the trade — two sons, Bob and Ken, were business representatives and went on to be business managers of Local 12.”

Greiner served in the United States Navy as a sub chaser during World War II before entering the sheet metal trade; he would live the rest of his life — 77 years — as a proud member of Local 12, including 18 years as a business rep. He ended up collecting a pension for longer than his years of service, Foringer added, and he was the definition of an active retiree: In addition to Local 12 activities, Greiner was an enthusiastic participant in Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) events, as well as an avid gardener.

Local 12 member William Greiner on his birthday
Local 12 member William Greiner on his 101st birthday
Local 12 member William Greiner as business rep., circa 1980
Local 12 member William Greiner as business rep.

“Bill loved to dance and was always the life of the party,” Greiner’s Legacy.com obituary reads. “Bill cherished his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”

In 2015, the SMART Members’ Journal published an article on the legacy of the Greiner family, noting at the time that, collectively, the family had contributed more than 480 years of service to the local. As we honor and remember William Greiner, it is clear that at least several generations — both in the Greiner family and beyond — benefited greatly from the more than seven decades he served as a SMART member.

“He lived a full and active life,” Foringer concluded.

Friday, Nov. 13, 1942: Spotlights speared across the velvet darkness in the waters North of Guadalcanal as an outgunned group of American warships crossed paths with two Japanese battleships and their escorts. As quickly as the lights flicked on, the amber glow of gunfire shredded the intense black veil that had provided temporary sanctuary.  

Autumn, 2022: This is the climatic setting of the story Kyle von Bergen and his friend Dylan hear from a great-grandfather Kyle had never met until he moved in with the 15-year-old and his mother. It’s also the dramatic conclusion of a story that will affect Kyle in ways he wouldn’t have imagined when he heard the old man was coming to stay. Kyle had enough on his hands: adjusting to high school and dealing with a bully who harbored a long-time grudge against the young man. Would this story tip the scales or give Kyle the strength to carry on? 

That’s the set-up of The Burning Sea of Iron Bottom Bay – Local 73 (Chicago and Cook County, Ill.) retiree Rich Rostron’s recently published young adult novel. The book tells the story of Kyle, a teenager struggling to acclimate to high school, life in a small apartment with his recently divorced mother, and a new relationship with his great-grandfather – a WWII veteran whose thrilling wartime tales unexpectedly draw Kyle in.

“This is a tale of courage and heroism from a bygone time,” said Rostron. “But it’s also a timeless story of learning to deal with hard times and overwhelming challenges. It’s a story of the kind of strength we need now as much as ever.” 

Rostron worries that young Americans today have lost track of the sacrifices made by veterans throughout our country’s history. “That’s one of the reasons I wrote this book, and wrote it for young adults and teens,” he said. “But I also recall that I was about that age when I was introduced to the wonders between the covers of books in the library. It was the start of a life-long passion that I’d like to share with others.”

In addition to serving his community as a sheet metal worker since starting his apprenticeship around 1980, Rostron has spent time as a freelancer with The Chicago Tribune and numerous other publications, was sports editor with The Woodstock Independent and served as the advisor to The Tartan, the student newspaper at McHenry County College. And he isn’t slowing down now.

“This is the first in a series of books I plan to write about American history,” Rostron explained. “I recently completed a research trip to New England for several books I want to write about the American Revolution.” 

Find The Burning Sea of Iron Bottom Bay at Barnes and Noble, Kindle and other outlets.

On August 31, 2021, the Local Union Officer and International Staff Retiree’s Club met in historic St. Charles, Missouri, with 56 attendees gathering for a cocktail reception, luncheon, meeting and a trip to Missouri wine country. As part of the meeting, union woodworker Jim Langsdorf crafted a tinner’s hammer made of solid hickory (pictured) in memory of past Regional Director Mike Krasovec.

Please join the Local Union Officer and International Staff Retiree’s Club for its 2022 meeting at the Isleta Casino and Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 30. Contact Tom Wilkens (618-407-5570/618-473-9384) or Larry Tucker (636-577-4312) for more information.

Local 19 retiree Keith Gilmer

Thanks to the strong support of his SMART pension, retired SM Local 19 (Southeastern Pa.) member Keith Gilmer has been able to spend plenty of time pursuing one of his passions: the outdoors.

“As a member, I was able to retire at the age of 55, and enjoy a few more years of good health than a lot of friends I know,” he explained. “I have been fortunate enough to make several hunting trips, and on my most recent one, I traveled to Newfoundland on a moose hunt.” Gilmer joined Mountaintop Outfitters — including the owner of the company, Art — for a successful trip: “I harvested a nice bull with a 40-and-a-half-inch spread … Previously I harvested, along with other bulls, a woodland caribou that is currently in the Boone and Crockett world record books.”

Because he was able to retire at 55 years old, Gilmer has the opportunity to devote a great number of years to exploring the natural world. It’s not something he takes for granted. “Thanks to groups like the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, along with our local unions, we get to enjoy parts of our ‘golden years’ outdoors,” he added. “Thank you for your past support, as well as the days and years to come.”

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A Montana resident believed to be the world’s oldest man celebrated his 114th birthday Tuesday at a retirement home in Great Falls, the Great Falls Tribune reports.

Walter Breuning was born on Sept. 21, 1896, in Melrose, Minnesota, and moved to Montana in 1918, where he worked as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway for 50 years.

His wife, Agnes, a railroad telegraph operator from Butte, died in 1957. The couple had no children.

Breuning inherited the distinction of being the world’s oldest man in July 2009 when Briton Henry Allingham died at age 113. Allingham had joked that the secret to long life was “Cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women — and a good sense of humor,” according to Guinness World Records.

The Guinness organization and the Gerontology Research Group each have verified Breuning as the world’s oldest man and the fourth-oldest person. Three women were born earlier in the same year as Breuning.

Robert Young, senior consultant for gerontology for Guinness World Records, presented Breuning with a copy of the book’s 2011 edition that lists him as the record holder.

“Walter wasn’t in last year’s edition,” Young joked. “He was too young.”

The Great Falls Tribune reported that Breuning gave a speech before about 100 people at an invitation-only birthday party at the Rainbow Retirement Community, with a guest list that included Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and representatives from Guinness World Records.

Breuning was helped up to a lectern from his motorized cart, appearing somewhat frail but speaking with a strong voice.

He recalled “the dark ages,” when his family moved to South Dakota in 1901 and lived for 11 years without electricity, water or plumbing.

“Carry the water in. Heat it on the stove. That’s what you took your bath with. Wake up in the dark. Go to bed in the dark. That’s not very pleasant,” he said.

He said men and women may be able to enjoy life, but they can’t be content without a belief or faith. His parting message to the crowd was one of tolerance.

“With all the hatred in this world, in this good world, let us be kind to one another,” Breuning said.

Breuning has celebrity status at the retirement home, with visitors waiting in line to see him, Ray Milversted, 92, told the Tribune.

Tina Bundtrock, executive director of the Rainbow, said the home has adopted a policy of scheduling visits with Breuning by appointment, so he’s not taxed by people dropping in to see him.

Before his birthday party, Breuning declined to name a favorite among the 114 years he has seen.

“Every year is the same,” Breuning told the Great Falls newspaper.

But he criticized one modern invention — the computer.

“When the computer came out, that was one of the worst things,” Breuning said. “They laid off all the clerks on the railroad.”

But, he added, “Every change is good.”

(This item appeared Sept. 22, 2010, in the Tribune.)