Katy's Lady

"The relationship of American women to business is steadily expanding in importance. The conduct of the railroad and its service from the woman's viewpoint grows in importance correspondingly." So last week spoke Michael Harrison Cahill, president, board chairman and chairman of the executive committee of Missouri-Kansas-Texas ("Katy") railroad. He had just appointed as his assistant Mrs. Frances Whitehead of St. Louis, widow of the late Charles N. Whitehead, long an M-K-T man, president the year he died (1926).

Mrs. Whitehead has been acquainted with railroading since she was a girl in Texas, receiving calls from young M-K-T

Employee Whitehead who rode his bicycle down the right-of-way to her house.* But she is no expert on M-K-T affairs. Her appointment is not without a sentimental connotation. Railroads usually look after their own (often an executive's wife receives one year of his salary upon his de mise) and Charles Whitehead was well-liked throughout the Katy. Mrs. Whitehead's job is described as helping the Katy in "interpreting the woman's viewpoint," suggesting niceties of passenger travel, perhaps even soliciting freight from businesswomen. Mrs. Whitehead lives in St. Louis, likes to play golf, is charming. Friends call her "Fanny." A son, Chester Powell Whitehead, is with General Steel Castings Corp. President Cahill, her and her hus band's longtime friend, whom she will now assist, is 56 years old, became president of the system last October when Columbus Haille, 70 resigned. Previously Mr. Ca hill had been chairman.

* A favorite story of the late Railroader Whitehead was that once on this trip he attempted to ride his bicycle over a trestle, fell off, landed in a creek.

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