Rod Diridon, Sr., Mineta Transportation Institute

Rod Diridon, Senior, the son of an immigrant Italian railroad brakeman, worked his way through college as a railroad brakeman and fireman. He is now known as the “father” of modern transit service in California's Silicon Valley (Santa Clara County). His political career began in 1971 as the youngest person ever elected to the Saratoga City Council. He retired, because of term limits, after 20 years and six terms as chair of both the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and Transit Board. He is the only person to have chaired the San Francisco Bay Area’s (nine counties and 104 cities) three regional governments: the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Association of Bay Area Governments.