(The following story by Linda Angelo appeared on The Flint Journal website on May 13.)
DURAND, Mich. — Jon M. Hayes remembers his father standing at an outdoor ceremony and graciously accepting the Railroad Person of the Year Award.
On Friday — 19 years later — Jon will follow Clyde M. Hayes’ footsteps and be honored at 7 p.m. at the Durand Union Station as the 2004 Railroad Person of the Year.
The father and son are the first duo to receive the award, which is given in conjunction with this weekend’s Railroad Days Festival.
“I’m proud,” said Hayes, 67. “It makes me feel real good because of my dad and I both receiving it.”
His commitment to the railroad industry is evident by looking in his basement. Framed black-and-white photos of different locomotives hang on the walls along with numerous certificates of achievements and snapshots of him and his buddies operating the massive trains.
There’s also a spot on the wall for the Railroad Person of the Year plaque given to his father, who died in 1988.
Hayes, a retired engineer with Grand Trunk Western Railroad, is the last of a long family lineage tied to the railroad industry.
His grandfather, William Merchant, died in what Hayes described as a “railroad mishap.” His uncle Bill Merchant was an engineer, while his uncle Joe Merchant worked as a switchman. Hayes also had cousins employed by the railroad and his brother, Greg, spent some years working with locomotives.
Hayes began working for Grand Trunk during his senior year at Durand High School, a job that turned into a 44-year career.
In 1976 he received perhaps one of his biggest honors — having President Ford aboard his locomotive as part of a whistle stop campaign trip.
“It was an honor to be selected out of all the men in the railroad,” said Hayes, one of four engineers chosen for the trip.
Hayes is a lifelong resident of the Durand area. He is married to Shirley, and they have four adult children and eight grandchildren.