560 State Papers and Addresses

RETIREMENT OF DANIEL WILLARD AND INDUCTION
OF ROY B. WHITE AS PRESIDENT OF THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO R. R.

LORD BALTIMORE HOTEL December 4, 1941
Baltimore

QUITE frequently, when assuming to voice the sentiments of all the people
of our State in any manner, it is necessary to speak with some diffidence,
for truly there can never be many things upon which all people will agree.

In expressing tonight, however, the feeling of our people with respect to Mr.
Daniel Willard. President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for thirty years
prior to his resignation this year, I can do so without any diffidence whatsoever.
There is not a single person in our State, I am convinced, who does not hold
Mr. Willard in the highest esteem and affection, and who does not appreciate
fully his splended accomplishments on behalf not only of his railroad—and I say
his railroad, advisedly—but on behalf of all the people of our State.

The success of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is a matter of concern to
everyone in Maryland, and particularly in that portion of the State lying west
of the Chesapeake Bay, for in the field of transportation Maryland and the
Baltimore and Ohio have become synonymous. Every forward step made by the
Baltimore and Ohio, and there have been many such under Mr. Willard's splen-
did management, has been reflected in a corresponding betterment of life in
Maryland.

There is an old adage that an organization always reflects its head. In the
case of the Baltimore and Ohio, this is manifestly true, for under Mr. Willard's
direction the Baltimore and Ohio has become, to the nth degree, an efficient,
friendly system, and in so doing has reflected the two outstanding character-
istics of its truly renowned inspiring genius.

To Mr. White I can safely extend, too, on behalf of all our people, a most
cordial welcome. Like his illustrious predecessor in office, he spent part of his
railroad apprenticeship, so to speak, among us. In coming back to us as Presi-
dent, he inherits without any conditions the legacy of respect and confidence
left him as a result of Mr. Willard's achievements.

There is no doubt in the minds of the people of Maryland but that he will
prove a worthy successor to the greatest of Baltimore and Ohio Presidents,
Mr. Willard.