In Memory: Linda Park Verdi

(Edited June 19—additional information at end of entry)

Yesterday morning, I attended the “service of remembrance and thanksgiving” for—and the burial of—one of the brightest lights that ever shown at Amtrak: Linda Park Verdi, who served the railroad faithfully for 33 years, after joining Amtrak in June 1973 one year after getting her B.A. (business & public administration) from University of Virginia. She was top-notch in every respect—the radiance of her personality; her talent, knowledge and creativity; and her work ethic. Not surprisingly, the service was well attended by current and retired Amtrak people, and Amtrak staff got calls of sympathy from around the country.

Although I only knew her at her Amtrak job, this part of the biography included in the service program came as no surprise:

“We remember Linda as being outgoing, full of energy and vitality, with her beautiful, infectious smile; where Linda was, there was the party. Linda made friends wherever she went. As a worldwide traveler, Linda loved visiting new and exciting places and people.

“Linda enjoyed life to the fullest. Her hobbies included gardening, boating, golfing, entertaining, crafting and working on ‘family roots.’ Linda’s creative talents were expressed in everything she did.

“Linda is so loved by all of her family. She selflessly gave of herself in all of her relationships as wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. So many special memories will remain in the hearts of all the lives she touched.”

The program said, “During her faithful 33 years with Amtrak she made significant contributions.” That is an understatement, to put it mildly.  Linda:

• Managed the marketing part of Amtrak’s October 1983 restart of Auto Train. (The private Auto Train Corporation ran the service until May 1, 1981.)
• Helped develop features of the Southwest Chief upgrade.
• Was involved in upgrading the Superliner trains, including movies and on board guides.
• Led the program to get movies on the Florida trains.
• During the mid-1990s, initiated Amtrak’s Travel Planner and oversaw its annual improvement.
• Was deeply involved with Amtrak’s marketing efforts with VIA Rail Canada, and went to Montreal many times to meet with VIA marketing people and develop new programs. The most significant result of this work was the North America Rail Pass which gives passengers unlimited travel on both Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada for a 30-day period.
• Did a joint marketing effort involving publication of Thomas the Tank Engine books with the “outside” pages promoting Amtrak to kids.
• Worked on Amtrak timetables in recent years. This was an underutilization of her talents, but it should be noted that one of David Gunn’s more visible decisions was to reinstate Amtrak’s national timetable, so it was certainly good to have Linda involved in seeing that that product met high standards. She also visited the NARP office on a few occasions to pick our brains about how the timetable could be improved; some of the additional transit information is one result of those conversations.

It is hard to imagine Amtrak without Linda, but she would want all of us—inside and outside the company—to keep working for a great national rail passenger service for the U.S.

—Ross Capon

The family requested that in lieu of flowers gifts may be designated for the Linda Verdi Memorial Fund and given to St. John’s Lutheran Church, 5952 Franconia Rd,. Alexandria, VA 22310, “or charity of choice.”