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Cleatus E. Barnett, 83, a 32-year member of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors who served five terms as its chairman, died Aug. 11 in Pensacola, FL.

Barnett represented Montgomery County, MD, on the WMATA Board of Directors from 1971—two years after Metrorail construction began, but five years before the system entered service—to June 2003, when he retired and moved to Pensacola. He served as chairman in 1974, 1980, 1986, 1992 and 1998.

Upon his retirement, the board officially renamed its meeting room “The Cleatus E. Barnett Board Room” in his honor, placing a plaque with his photo at the entrance.

“We are sorry to learn of the passing of Cleatus Barnett, one of the founding fathers of the Metrorail system and a true public servant dedicated to improving transportation in this region,” said WMATA Board Chairman Peter Benjamin. “He was a major contributor to the building of Metrorail, from its concept to a thriving and proud system, and was responsible for many of the benefits that it brought to our region. He also was a supporter of the Metrobus system, which stretches deep into neighborhoods where rails do not exist.”

A Washington Post editorial that ran after Barnett’s retirement stated that “in the eyes of his colleagues in the world of transit, Mr. Barnett ... is recognized and respected as a major force in the birth and growth of ‘America’s Subway.’”

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