After 40 years of service with SEPTA, a trailblazing train operator is calling it a career.
Jackie Pettyjohn made history as SEPTA’s first female train engineer, according to the transit agency. On Friday, she was showered with love by community members after completing her final trip from Philadelphia International Airport to Suburban Station.
Friends, colleagues and loved ones surprised Pettyjohn with balloons, cheers and a much-deserved round of applause at her last stop to celebrate her remarkable career. After exiting the train, SEPTA’s “first lady” hugged well-wishers.
/ Credit: Thomas Cleveland
“Jackie Pettyjohn was a trailblazer for female train engineers. SEPTA is grateful for her 40 years of service, and we wish her all the best in her retirement,” the transit agency wrote in a statement to CBS News Philadelphia on Saturday.
Pettyjohn first found the job opening at SEPTA through an ad for the position in the Philadelphia Inquirer in August 1984, according to a Facebook post from SEPTA. A few weeks later, the job was hers.
“She has said she had no intention of staying but she ended up falling in love with the job and despite the demanding hours found a way to balance work and family,” the Facebook post said in part.
Hats off to this trailblazer! CBS News Philadelphia wishes her a restful retirement.
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