Leonard "Len" F. Edinger, II

Mr. Edinger served as the transportation director for the OswegoCounty Opportunities, Inc. for fourteen years where he managed a fleet of 43 buses. In his tenure with OswegoCounty Opportunities, passenger count increased by 25% and revenue nearly doubled. Len was a long-time devoted and active board member of the New York Public Transit Association (NYPTA).Len was president of the National Management Association and a member of the Advisory Committee for Rural Transit Assistance Program. Len also served on various human service agency committees in OswegoCounty. He was a strong supporter of the C.W. Baker High School music program and the Baldwinsville TheatreGuild for which he served as treasurer.

Len was born in Syracuse, and was a 1961 graduate of North Syracuse High School and 1965 graduate of Williams College. Len enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1966 and served for 26 years. His first tour of duty took him to Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands, where he met and married Maggie, his wife of 38 years. A loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather, Len passed away in May, 2006, and was survived by his wife, Maggie; three children, Jane E. (Corbin P.)Baum of Cleveland, OH, Kimberly (Kenneth) Russell of Raleigh, NC, and Rick Edinger of New York, NY; three grandchildren, Graycen, Kiersten and Michaela; a brother, Frederick P. Edinger of Parish; an uncle, Jack Kreischer of Jamesville; as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was inducted in 2006.

Herbert Hekler

Mr. Hekler was one of the founding members of the New York Public Transit Association (NYPTA) and served on the first Board of Directors for the Association. Herb retired from Ulster County Rural Transportation after 35 years where he served as the Director of Planning. During his tenure, he worked on numerous projects ranging from parks to buses to helping laid off IBM workers find new jobs. He served as a catalyst for cooperation between county planners throughout the region. He also developed the hub and spoke transit system in Ulster County and built the framework from a planning perspective for today's Ulster County Area Transit.

Herb was recently honored with the Regional Achievement award from the Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress for his achievements in guiding Ulster County's growth. Herb is very active in the local community, through providing support to the high school band and has participated in many historical county activities.

John "Jack" Reilly

John "Jack" Reilly retired in 2005 after 26 years of service from the Capital District Transportation Authority. From 1976-1979, Jack served as a Senior Planner, from 1979-1997 as Director of Planning & Development, and most recently as Deputy Executive Director from 1997-2005.

Jack has been the leading light for CDTA for the introduction of information technology, the introduction of automatic vehicle locating systems and automatic passenger counting, the creation of flexibly-routed suburban circulator services, the creation of a regional fare structure, the development and construction of the $53 million Rensselaer Rail Station (the first major intercity rail station constructed in the U.S. in more than 50 years), the development of the Saratoga Springs Rail Station and the creation of a Medicaid transportation brokerage.

Jack is an active participant in TCRP programs, an adjunct Associate Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and serves on the New York State Senate High Speed Rail Task Force as an advisor on high speed rail issues in New York State.

Jack has built a reputation as a reliable and accessible resource and advisor for numerous NYPTA members on a broad variety of subjects, especially on how to access a broad range of grant programs and has been a frequent presenter at NYPTA conferences and meetings. He was inducted in 2006