CLEVELAND, March 5 — Former BLE General Secretary-Treasurer John D. Rinehart passed away on February 27 after a prolonged illness.
Brother Rinehart, 75, served the BLE as General Secretary-Treasurer for 13 years (1976-1989) and as a Special Representative for 10 years (1966-1976).
“I worked with Brother Rinehart and he conducted himself as a gentleman who always put the affairs of the Brotherhood first,” said International President Don Hahs. “On behalf of the 59,000 men and women of the BLE, I extend deepest sympathies to his family.”
He won election to the office of Alternate General Secretary-Treasurer at the Second Quinquennial International Convention in 1976. He succeeded G.P. Sheahan as GST upon Sheahan’s death later that year.
He won reelection to the GST office in 1981 and 1986 before retiring on May 1, 1989.
Born on June 21, 1927 in Columbus, Ohio, Brother Rinehart spent two years in the U.S. Army Air Force in the U.S. and Europe during World War II. His first railroad job was as a freight handler for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Columbus in 1942.
He hired out as a fireman on Dec. 1, 1947 for the Norfolk & Western in Columbus, earning his promotion to locomotive engineer at the N&W in February of 1953.
On July 3, 1949, Brother Rinehart joined BLE Division 72 in Columbus, serving as local chairman and legislative representative for several years. He also served as a Vice Chairman of the Ohio State Legislative Board from 1967-1976. He transferred to BLE Division 511 (Portsmouth, Ohio) on December 1, 1989.
His grandfather, Dell D. Rinehart, was a Scioto Valley and N&W conductor. His father, Charles D. Rinehart, was also a N&W conductor and local officer for the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.
Brother Rinehart and his wife, Kathryn Wildermuth, were married on Sept. 18, 1954. They had two daughters, one son, and several grandchildren.