CLEVELAND, September 9 — Tommy Mayne, former Chairman of the Kentucky State Legislative Board, passed away unexpectedly at a hospital in Corbin, Ky., yesterday.
He was the husband of Sondra Mayne and the father of Samantha Mayne.
Brother Mayne, 56, was born December 9, 1951, and was a member of BLET Division 463 in Corbin, Ky. He first joined the Brotherhood on September 19, 1974. In 2006, he was elected Alternate Vice President and National Legislative Representative at the BLET’s First Quadrennial National Convention in Las Vegas.
“We are shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of Brother Tommy Mayne,” said BLET National President Ed Rodzwicz. “He was well liked and respected by all his co-workers and by elected officials throughout the United States. He was a dedicated leader who spent countless hours in the legislative arena fighting for workplace safety and quality of life improvements for locomotive engineers and trainmen. He will be sorely missed.”
Brother Mayne was a founding member of the Kentucky State Legislative Board and served as its Chairman from its inception in 1994 to 2007. He was reelected to the Chairman’s job numerous times over the years, most recently by acclamation in October 2006.
“Tommy Mayne was a Brother in the truest sense of the word,” said BLET National Secretary-Treasurer Bill Walpert. “He always put the Brotherhood and its membership first in every assignment he handled. I will always remember him for his wonderful sense of humor. He was a dedicated Brother, but also a loving father and husband. He was very proud of his daughter Samantha.”
For many years, he was a leader of the BLET’s National Association of State Legislative Board Chairmen. He also represented the BLET at the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation””s 50 states, its commonwealths and territories.
“I am stunned and saddened at the sudden death of a great Brother,” said BLET Vice President and National Legislative Representative John Tolman. “Tommy was an asset to the Brotherhood. He accomplished a lot in his years as the Kentucky State Legislative Board Chairman, but what he will be remembered most for is the relationships he formed with the legislators in that state and around the country, through his work with the National Conference of State Legislatures. I will personally remember him though for the smiles he brought to our organization. Tommy will be missed by me, and many others, for his sense of humor and practical jokes, but most of all for his commitment to the BLET. He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.”
During his tenure as State Chairman, Brother Mayne worked tirelessly for the members he represented. He lobbied state and national legislative officials on numerous issues, including: improved lodging facilities for train crews; remote control safety improvements; and increased rail security.
He was one of several BLET leaders who played a key role in passage of the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001, a significant piece of national legislation that lowered the retirement age for all railroad workers in the United States.
“I extend deepest sympathies to the family of Tommy Mayne on behalf of the 55,000 men and women of the BLET,” National President Rodzwicz said.
Funeral arrangements will be handled by the O’Neil Funeral Home in Corbin, and will be announced when finalized.