Kathryn D. Waters, 74
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Kathy Waters
Long-time public transportation professional Kathryn D. “Kathy” Waters, 74, died March 29.
Waters had a distinguished career that included posts as Senior Deputy Administrator at the Maryland Transit Administration, Vice President for Commuter Rail and Railroad Management at DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit), Director of the Trinity Railway Express and Manager and Chief Operating Officer for MARC Train Service in Maryland.
Waters joined APTA (American Public Transportation Association) in 2007 as Executive Vice President for Member Services, retiring in 2017. As an APTA member, she was Chair of the Commuter Rail Committee, Vice Chair for Commuter and Intercity Rail on the APTA Executive Committee, and a member of numerous other committees. She also represented APTA for more than 17 years on the Federal Railroad Administration RSAC (Rail Safety Advisory Committee).
In 2009, Waters received Railway Age’s W. Graham Claytor Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to Passenger Transportation (above, with Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono).
“Kathy and I worked side by side for eight years,” said Commuter Rail Coalition CEO KellyAnne Gallagher. “She was grace personified, and her leadership style reflected this very core trait. Even in an industry dominated by men, Kathy never needed to wield her considerable experience to assert stature. When she trotted it out to make a policy observation—as I watched her do to great effect in countless RSAC meetings—she only further cemented her legacy as an icon.
“But as I reflect, it’s through travel that I got to know Kathy more personally. Our work together took us all over the world, and it offered an insight not accessible in the office: stealing away to a favorite market in Paris to search for hats; an outdoor café in Madrid where she could smoke; a restaurant we returned to again and again because they were always lovely to two women who clearly had little recall of the language. And, the inevitable cancelled and delayed flights, which she always took in stride.
“This was a woman who modeled her priorities. Her husband Stan, her children and grandchildren were the lights of her life, and a regular topic of conversation. Long commutes from Baltimore to Dallas and D.C. may have challenged her work-life balance, but no one ever doubted that her commitment was to family first.
“Perhaps the best tribute to Kathy that anyone could ever offer, though, came while she was able to appreciate the sentiment, and which she gave her immense pride. Following her second and final tour at Maryland DOT, MARC dedicated an in-service locomotive to her legacy, naming HHP-8 4913 the ‘Kathryn D. Waters.’”
