On Thursday, April 19, 2018, Dan Reichard Jr. passed away in Columbus, Ohio. Reichard was one of the founders of Genfare in 1980 and worked for the company as VP of sales until he retired at the age of 72. He stayed with the business, however, part time until he reached his late 80s.

Reichard served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as part of the beach patrol during the Invasion of Normandy. After Hiroshima, he became part of the occupation force in Japan. He authored the book “Time to Go” after the 50th Anniversary of D-Day when he became overwhelmed with recollections of the war and his wife, Sharon, encouraged him to share his memories in writing. He also wrote a weekly essay, “Grandpa Speaks,” as one of his ways to share his patriotism, U.S. history, love for his country and his strong bond with his Catholic faith.

“Dan was a World War II hero, a devoted family man and a significant contributor to the transit industry. He helped to establish much of the modern-day fare collection systems approaches for Genfare. His contributions to APTA for well over 40 years helped the business members gain acceptance and approval with the APTA organization and helped the industry make important progress. He was involved with the American Public Transportation Foundation for many years and has a scholarship in his name,” said Kim Green, Executive Director of Business Development at Genfare.

Reichard has a self-titled scholarship in his name that is given to an individual who is dedicated to a career in the business administration/management area of the transit industry.

“Dan was able to spend a considerable amount of time with us at APTA EXPO in October 2017, and one of my biggest takeaways from my time with him was not only how much he loved this industry, but how much the industry loved him back. He truly left a lasting impression with everyone he met. I know Dan will leave quite a legacy, and he will be missed,” said Darren Dickson, president of Genfare.

Reichard was a member of the APTA Hall of Fame and in 1995, he was the recipient of the APTA Outstanding Business Member Award. He was also a founding member of the Business Member Board of Governors (BMBG). He had gone to every APTA Annual Meeting and BMBG meeting since the group’s founding in 1974. Reichard was also a former board member of the Central Ohio Transit Authority.