As was typical in the summer, the passenger extra boards were depleted, so it was left to extra freight men to cover the assignment. The conductor was Bob Preace, who is now an Amtrak conductor, but I don't recall the other brakeman's name - I him being an Oakland man, though.

After arriving at 4th & Townsend and getting squared-away on the assignment, I took up a position on the platform near the rear vestibule. There was quite a crowd of SP officialdom at the gate, out of which suddenly stepped Chairman of the Board B.F. Biaggini, headed directly for me! Ho boy! He stuck out his hand and said, "B.F. Biaggini's the name. What's yours?" I mumbled a nervous reply, and he then quizzed me about my railroad career and my family for about a minute, all the while casting a "stay away" glare at the nearby gaggle of officials. Mr. Biaggini was a true leader - in that one short instant he impressed upon both me and his lieutenants that even mere brakemen were an important part of the corporate equation. Traditional top railroad management thought this way, I suppose because most of them came up through the ranks as did Biaggini; todays crop rarely mixes with us peons - those MBA mills surely turn out some effete dandies.

Anyway, soon the show began with the arrival of Governor Brown. Upon leaving San Francisco, we crewmen were ushered to a lounge car that we had pretty much to ourselves. A few miles down the line, Andy Anderson, SP's head PR guy, asked us if we'd like to be photographed with the Governor. The other brakeman begged-off, but curiosity got the better of Bob and me, so we followed Andy towards an audience with Jerry Brown.

Bob was directed into the seat next to the Governor, who assiduously ignored him. I was told to stand behind the pair. Then, the SP's photographer asked the Governor to talk to Bob for the photograph.

Governor Brown glanced at the photographer with a sneer and hissed, "YOU talk to him!"

Mr. Biaggini, the Corporate Tycoon (who didn't ride the train, BTW), surely could have given The Man of the People a few lessons in magnanimity. It's a topsy-turvy world that we live in, eh?