G. Edward Vandeventer collection of public transportation ephemera, reports, and other material

Title: G. Edward Vandeventer collection of public transportation ephemera, reports, and other material

Dates: 1930-2001

Collection Number: 21-DPGTL

Creator/Collector: Vandeventer, Edward G. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Southern California Rapid Transit District Pacific Electric Railway Company Metropolitan Coach Lines Los Angeles County Transportation Commission

Extent: 5.004 linear feet, 12 boxes

Repository: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library and Archive

Abstract: Gale Edward “Ed” Vandeventer was an employee of the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) from 1975 to 1997. During this time, Vandeventer contributed to the creation of a new scheduling system for SCRTD’s Scheduling Department and was part of the operational planning of the Blue, Red, and Green Metro Rail lines. This collection contains ephemera published by the SCRTD including notices of service changes, bus guides, and maps, as well as material related to planning Blue Line operations. Also included in this collection is material collected by Ed Vandeventer published by antecedent transit companies of Los Angeles: the Pacific Electric Railway Company, Los Angeles Transit Lines, Metropolitan Coach Lines, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, and of SCRTD’s successors, the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Language of Material: English

Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact LACMTA Research Library and Archive to make an appointment.

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the LACMTA Research Library and Archive. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the LACMTA Research Library and Archive as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the LACMTA Research Library and Archive collections.

G. Edward Vandeventer collection of public transportation ephemera, reports, and other material. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Research Library and Archive

This material was donated to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority by the family of G. Edward Vandeventer in 2011. An additional eight boxes were donated by Phyllis Vandeventer in 2014.

Gale Edward "Ed" Vandeventer (1942 – 2003) was a long-term employee of the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACTMA) who began working as a planner for the District in July 1975. Vandeventer later served as Rail Operations Superintendent from 1985 to 1988 and was reappointed to the position in July 1991 after serving as the Superintendent of Instruction from 1988 to 1991. Following the 1993 merger, Vandeventer became an employee of LACMTA. He retired in 1997. During his employment with SCRTD and LACMTA, Vandeventer was an integral part of developing and implementing a freeway fare increment system, training supervisors for rail transit operations and training operators for Metro Rail’s Blue Line. Vandeventer was born January 21, 1942 in Denver, Colorado, and was raised in Long Beach, California. He graduated from Millikan High School in 1959 and received bachelor’s (1964) and masters’ (1966) degrees in civil engineering from the University of Southern California. He lived in Hacienda Heights, California with his family from 1968 until his death. Vandeventer was also a rail history enthusiast who was a longtime member of the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California, serving the museum as Superintendent of Railway Operations, Vice-President of Museum Services, and as a member of the Board. Vandeventer passed away on June 5, 2003.

This collection comprises material collected by Ed Vandeventer that was created by various public transportation agencies that existed in Los Angeles from the 1940s to the early 2000s. This includes reports, service planning documentation, promotional material, service guides, correspondence, ephemera, service schedules, maps, and photographs created by the Pacific Electric Railway Company, Los Angeles Transit Lines, Metropolitan Coach Lines, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, Southern California Rapid Transit District, Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency; as well as material related to the Orange Empire Railway Museum. Also included in this collection are miscellaneous materials Vandeventer collected related to public transportation and rail travel throughout the U.S. and internationally.