06:59 AM CST on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 By JON NIELSEN / The Dallas Morning News Harold L. Gastler, a former president of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, was known for his integrity as a businessman and as one of the architects of the series of Katy Trails across Texas. He worked for railroads for 37 years in the midwest and Texas and was president of the Katy Railroad in Dallas from 1975 until his retirement in 1988. Mr. Gastler, 78, died Dec. 25 of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a neurological condition. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bethel Lutheran Church, 11211 E. Northwest Highway. Mr. Gastler enjoyed working with his co-workers and considered himself a loyal member of the company, said Joyce Gastler of Dallas, his wife of 53 years. "He felt of himself as working with people and not having people work for him," she said. "He really worked hard, felt like he owed the company a lot. He appreciated the people he worked with." Born in 1927 in rural Wellsville, Mo., Mr. Gastler grew up in Martinsburg, a community of 200 in central Missouri. After graduating from high school in a class of 18, Mr. Gastler joined the Navy and served in Guam during World War II. Share your thoughts with Mr. Gastler's family Sign our Guestbook | View our Guestbook He earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Missouri after his military service, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class. He later earned a degree from the Harvard Advanced Management Program. Mr. Gastler began his railroad career less than a month after his graduation, joining the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad in the student apprentice program. He was named general manager of the Frisco Railroad in 1962 and became president of Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad in 1966, making him the youngest president of a Class A railroad, Ms. Gastler said. Mr. Gastler became operating vice president of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in 1968, helping to manage safety and scheduling of passenger, commuter and freight lines. In 1973, he moved to Denison, Texas, where he was vice president of operations for the Katy Railroad. Two years later, he was named president of the company. He led the railroad's effort to ship coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to the Texas coast. The move was so successful that the Chinese government invited Mr. Gastler and a group to offer advice on how to ship China's coal. Mr. Gastler also became active in planning and acquisition negotiations for the Katy Trail. "He could really see the future of the Katy Trail and how good it could be for everybody," Ms. Gastler said. "He loved sports and he loved outdoors and he liked the railroad to contribute." Mr. Gastler set up a scholarship fund in his name for students at the Lutheran High School of Dallas. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Kim L. Gastler of Houston; three brothers, Bernard Gastler of Austin and Norman and William Gastler, both of Martinsburg; and two grandsons. Memorials may be made to the Harold L. Gastler Scholarship Fund at Lutheran High School of Dallas, 8494 Stults Road, Dallas, Texas 75243, or to any charity.
No surprise that media blows this one. He'd have to be about 150 years old, to have been with the MK&T. Which disappeared in 1922. Interesting career though. Boxcab E50
