Stokes, B.R.

1924 - 2013

 Former BART General Manger B.R. (Bill) Stokes passed away peacefully Wednesday, May 15, at his daughter’s home in Sammamish, Wash. He was 89. Stokes was considered a pioneer in the advancement of public transit, achieving national and international acclaim. Joan, his wife of 61 years, died in 2011 in their home in Reston, Va.

In early 1958, not long after a five-county BART District was created by the state Legislature, Stokes became its first employee as Director of Information. He was 34 at the time. The previous 12 years he had been an Urban Affairs writer for the Oakland Tribune, often writing about the need for a regional rapid transit system during the postwar building boom. In his new job he immediately set about establishing the fledgling transit district as a legitimate endeavor, though many at the time didn’t believe it. The five counties making up the District were Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo. Between 1958 and 1962 Stokes’ primary responsibility was to develop and carry out a comprehensive information program about the rapid transit plan and its potential benefits to the Bay Area.

Born in Oklahoma in 1924, Billy Richard Stokes was an officer aboard a destroyer during World War II. After the Navy and college he went to work for the Oakland Tribune. He is survived by four children: Timothy Stokes of Berkeley; Leigh Stokes of Sammamish, Wash.; Lindsey Stokes of Santa Rosa; and Celia Stokes of Frederick, Md.; and six grandchildren

To read the entire Obit go to http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2013/news20130517.aspx