A rail industry veteran who has chosen to remain anonymous has gifted $400,000 to the National Railroad Hall of Fame (NRRHOF) capital campaign.
“This generous donation from a leader who capped his career at the top of U.S. railroading speaks to the importance of the Hall of Fame to our industry,” said NRRHOF Rail Industry Advisory Group Chair Brooks Bentz. “The Hall of Fame educates the public about the importance of railroads to everyday life in America and preserves the industry’s legacy through programming such as its one-of-a-kind oral history interview series.”
“This leadership level gift brings us well within striking distance of our fundraising target,” said Executive Director Julie King. “The National Railroad Hall of Fame was established by resolutions of the U.S. Congress, which designated its home in Galesburg, Ill The organization celebrates the stories of the people of American railroading while educating and inspiring the public on the role railroads play in shaping our future.
In a related development, Mark Cane, who spent most of his career with Burlington Northern, has joined the Rail Industry Advisory Group. At BN, Cane was Vice President Service Design and VP Equipment Management, and headed of BN’s Intermodal Business Unit, of which he was a founding member. He was also deeply involved in the merger with Santa Fe that created BNSF. Cane went on to serve as President of Amtrak Intercity, where he led a major route and service restructuring. Following that, he served as President of Menasha Material Handling Corporation.
Cane served on the board of directors of TTX Corporation and as an instructing contributor to the Northwestern University Transportation Center and the Transportation Institute at the University of Denver. He taught Global Logistics Strategy at Marquette University and recently authored Against All Odds: The History of Burlington Northern Railroad’s Innovative Intermodal Business. Cane contributes to Trains Magazine as well as to the publications of the Burlington Northern, Burlington Route and Union Pacific Historical Societies. He is currently conducting research for a book about the history and groundbreaking turnaround of BN’s grain business.
Executive Director Julie King joined members of the Advisory Group in welcoming Cane. “This blue-ribbon panel hails from all sectors of the industry, and their expertise guides everything we do, from programming and educational materials to selection of inductees and key story lines that will be presented in our visitor attraction,” she said.
The NRRHOF’s next event will be Nov. 19, 2024 at Union Station Kansas City, when Downing B. Jenks, Arthur E. Stilwell and Paul M. Tellier are inducted into Hall of Fame. Tellier, who led the privatization of Canadian National Railway, was named Railway Age’s 1997 Railroader of the Year.
