The Gold Watch Society: Seven Receive Gold Watch Certificates By John Baesch

Time has always been valuable.  From the earliest days of watch making, chronometers have been cased in durable, valuable material:  frequently gold.  On the railroad, there was a life safety aspect to a railroad standard watch because people’s lives depended on the accuracy of the chronometers of the people charged with fulfilling train orders and other mandatory directives governing the movement of trains.

Some egregious wrecks in the late nineteenth century resulted in the adoption of strict standards for watches and industry-wide application of a uniform standard.  By the early 1900s, the railroad standard watch was a precision instrument that was part of an employee’s safety equipment.  In recognition of its importance, a long-lasting, durable material, typically gold, encased the works.

The gold watch came to be a symbol of quality, durability and longevity.

In 2009, RABO established the “Gold Watch Society” to recognize and honor each year those RABO members who celebrate their ninetieth birthday in that year.

Daniel Willard, 30-year president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, recognized that employees themselves were the company’s most valuable asset; and so it is that in RABO, we honor the quality, durability and longevity of our members who have achieved their ninetieth birthday in 2011 by inducting them into the RABO Gold Watch Society and presenting them with a specially-designed certificate.

They come from all over the Eastern United States and from a variety of backgrounds. They are:
 
Roy J. Hollingsworth - B&O - Engineering - Ellicott City, Maryland
Roland E. Jones - B&O - Police - Linthicum, Maryland
John S. Ketzner - B&O - Purchasing - Baltimore, Maryland
Thomas P. Lavin - B&O - Police - Staten Island, New York
Max H. Posey - C&O - Operating - Ellicott City, Maryland
Richard H. Zinn - B&O - Engineering - Cincinnati, Ohio
 
Congratulations to each of these gentlemen.