Could be. Several years ago at the Union Pacific RR employee picnic held at a Railway Museum I belong to I was the Conductor on the main line passenger train we were running and as I finished the safety talk in one car a woman yelled out "Is your name Perkins and did you teach at Garfield HS in East LA?" I yelled back "Yes" and she waved her hand and replied "I thought I recognized that voice and style. My husband and I met in one of your 9th grade classes at Garfield HS 10 years ago." Then as I walked toward her I saw she had two children about 4 or 5 with her. I asked if her husband was a the museum also and she told me he couldn't make it because he was a Freight Train Conductor for UP and on an express run to the east loaded with fresh produce from So. California and she planned to tell him who was the Conductor on the train they rode at the museum.

For those who don't know on a train the Conductor is like the Captain of a ship. He is the commander. The Engineer, Firemen, Brakemen, Porters and Asst Engineers etc. all take their orders from the Conductor. The British modeled trains after ships. They also came up with the "Navy Blue" uniforms (though some places they wear black).

Wow, how cool is that?! Your former students have remembered your voice and style. It goes to show that we never know who is going to remember something we said or did even decades ago-- so always conduct oneself with respect for others and have a virtuous, honorable soul in all that you do. I still remember the great teachers I had and can hear them speak their words of wisdom just like it was yesterday. BTW, I do know that conductors are very highly regarded in the RR industry. My uncle was one in Canada, though I do not recall who he worked for... but he was always held in high regard.

Jackson, California... shot from the vista point on Hwy 88. Taken with my Sony RX1R.

Jackson is located in the heart of the Motherlode, and was a bustling area for gold mining during the California Gold Rush days during the mid-1800's. Many relics from that era are available to view in the areas' historical museums. The Mi-Wuk Indians also flourished here-- in fact, there are several grinding rocks on my property and I have found three arrowheads (so far) just walking the field. Though all of the gold mines have been shut down years ago, there are many folks who still pan for gold in our many rivers and streams.

The view is looking due east. The prominent peak is Butte mountain which dominates the Jackson area. Beyond that, you can see the mighty Sierra Nevada mountain range in the distance-- which extend 400 miles north to south and is 70 miles wide. Highest peak is Mt. Whitney at 14,505 ft.

When the FRA changed some of the regs our museum's course and certification of conductors didn't fit the new criteria so the museum split the job and added a bit of training to the brakeman class and they became Brakeman-Conductor and were responsible for the running and mechanics of our trains. The ones like me who didn't have brakeman quals got the title "Passenger Service Agent" and were in charge of passengers, boarding and unboarding, passenger safety etc. (bum knee couldn't do the climbing and jumping on and off trains, sometimes moving slowly, to make brakeman) But we kept wearing the uniform and cap with "Conductor" on it because that is what museum visitors expected to see and it did fit the era our equipment came from (newest engine or car in our working collection was built in 1967 and our oldest working units were from the late 1800's.

Jackson, California... shot from the vista point on Hwy 88. Taken with my Sony RX1R.

Jackson is located in the heart of the Motherlode, and was a bustling area for gold mining during the California Gold Rush days during the mid-1800's. Many relics from that era are available to view in the areas' historical museums. The Mi-Wuk Indians also flourished here-- in fact, there are several grinding rocks on my property and I have found three arrowheads (so far) just walking the field. Though all of the gold mines have been shut down years ago, there are many folks who still pan for gold in our many rivers and streams.

The view is looking due east. The prominent peak is Butte mountain which dominates the Jackson area. Beyond that, you can see the mighty Sierra Nevada mountain range in the distance-- which extend 400 miles north to south and is 70 miles wide. Highest peak is Mt. Whitney at 14,505 ft.