Evening star., 1942-07-07
Daniel Willard, Rail Veteran,
Dies of Heart AiIment ot87
Carrier Pioneer
Headed B. & 0. for
Three Decades
fy the Associated Press.

fy the Associated Press.
BALTIMORE, July death has
ended the long railroading career OF
Daniel Willard, 81, who began as q
track Iaborer and climbed to the
presidency and board chairmanship
Of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Uncle Dan" as he was familiarly
known throughout the B. ds o. sys-
tenn, mad been seriously i'll OF heart
trouble since May II, when he was
taken to the Union Memorial Hos
pital He died there last night.
Private funeral services will be
held at the Willard home at 2 pm.
tomorrow. The family made no an
nouncement regarding burial ar
rangements.
Mr.. Willard knew the problems Of
the railroadmen in the high places,
and he had experienced the back
breaking toll of those in humble
positions.
Tried to Retire.
In 1890, when Mr.. Willard was
nearly 10 and had served for two
decades as president of the Balti-
more and Ohio, he offered his
resignation, saying the road would
be served better by younger execu-
tive
But the directors turned down the
suggestion and reelected him, just
as they did every year thereafter
through 1910.
Finally, on April 30, 1s4l, the
veteran stepped down from the
active management of the system
and was elected chairman of the
Board of Directors-a new position.
A pace-setter in his field, Mr..
Willard was quick to abandon out
NODDED ideas and policies when new
departures promised to improve
service to the travelling public and
benefit railroads. .a -
He pioneered in air conditioning
passenger coaches and in the use of
Diesel power; he fought, on occasion,
for passenger and freight rate re-
ductions when new business sources
were needed and he campaigned just
as vigorously for increases when op-
Grating costs seemed. to him, to
make low rates impractical.
STAYED OF Bankruptcy.
In the tight days of 1882 Mr..
Willard headed the Executives Com
mittee that negotiated, a three-year
$400, 900 900 wage reduction with the
workers. -..,
Again, in 1899, Mr.. Willard almost
single -handedlly worked out a plan
for modification OF B. e. O. interest
charges and bond maturities, light
ened the roads annual debt payment
by about $4,000, 900, and saved it
from bankruptcy.
Cooperation between the work
ers and officers of the road was the
keynote Of his policy. When q shop
mems strike became almost gen.
eral walkout throughout the United
States the mechanics employed by
his read remained A1oof.
There is no need for the shop
men Of the Baltimore q Ohio to |
strike when there q no difference
between the workers and officials
which cannot be settled by arbitra-
tion," he said. From that state
ment grew the Cooperative Griey-
ance Committee, which embraced
representatives from each of the
trade crafts and officials Of the
road. s.,
Prominent in Education.
He had only the start of col
lege education but for more than
a quarter century was a member of |
the Board of Trustees of the Johns
Hopkins University. He was elected
to the board in 1914 and served as
chairman rom 1926 until 194l. He
also headed the committee which
mapped out a 50-year program Of
advancement for the university and
the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He
was honored with degrees from 10
colleges and universities, including !
the Universities of Maryland, West |
Virginia and Pennsylvania, Dart
mouth College, Ohio State Univer-
sity, Syracuse University, the Uni
versity of Rochester and Oberlin
College.
Born on a farm near North Hart
land, VT, January 2S, 1861. young
Willard aided his father and at
tended the district school until he
was is. He spent two years in high
school, taught one year and then
entered the Massachusetts, Agricul- |
tural College at Amherst but was
forced to quit in his first year be-
cause of eye trouble. That was
1888
It was then that he entered the |
railroad world through a place as
track laborer. From there he went
to firing locomotive and later ad-
vanced to locomotive engineer with
a road In Michigan. Next he went to
the 500 Line as conductors mechan-
ical foreman, trainmaster and finally
superintendent of transportation.
Joined b. l. o. in 1899.