Leonard Ronis, 90, of Beachwood, OH, a 60-year public transportation professional and member of the APTA Hall of Fame, died July 4.

“He was truly a pioneer who contributed greatly to shaping our industry,” said APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy.

Ronis joined the former Cleveland Transit System (CTS) in 1946 after leaving the U.S. Army. Over the years he served as personnel director, operations manager, and assistant general manager; and became the last CTS general manager on Nov. 1, 1974.

After the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) was established in 1975, he was named its first general manager, serving until 1981. Beginning in 1984, Ronis was an associate consultant with Parsons Brinckerhoff—a relationship that lasted for 22 years.

Ronis served as APTA president in 1980-82 [at the time, APTA had both an elected president and an elected chair] and was named to the APTA Hall of Fame in 1990.

His affiliation with APTA and its predecessor organization, the American Transit Association (ATA), began in 1950 when he joined ATA’s Committee on Supervisor Development.

He also was a founder and past president of the Ohio Public Transportation Association, an organization that played a significant role in developing the state legislation that allowed the creation of regional transit authorities. The organization now presents an annual award in his name.

“Leonard Ronis is one of my all-time heroes,” said GCRTA General Manager Joe Calabrese. “He was a pioneer in this industry and always cared about the customer.”

In 2006, at age 85, Ronis announced that his attendance at the APTA Annual Meeting—his 60th—would be his last. Then-APTA Chair Howard Silver saluted Ronis during the meeting as “a legend in public transit, a man known for his strong vision and devotion to public transit. He certainly walks the talk.”

Photo by Jesse Karras During the 2006 APTA Annual Meeting in San Jose, Leonard Ronis, right, received a plaque in recognition of his 60 years in the public transportation industry from then-APTA Chair Howard Silver.