Thanks for the update, Doug.
Don was a valued part of the Mifnet community for many years, and the natural inspiration for the “MifRail” branch. Regretfully, he dropped from Mifnet some years ago (his email went dormant, and I couldn’t track him), and we had word about four years ago that his health was declining, so we didn’t have the pleasure of his wisdom and insights in recent days. He will continue to be sincerely missed. DW David Wardell (757) 561-0582 [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <https://wardell.us/url/b5s86> <https://wardell.us/url/s9qvz> From: Doug Church via Mifnet <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2025 12:36 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Doug Church <[email protected]> Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 74378] RIP Don Phillips I was saddened to learn that Don Phillips passed away on Sept. 23. He was 83. While Don's passion was trains, and his reporting on the rail industry was legendary and extraordinary, he also covered aviation during his time on the transportation beat at The Washington Post. That's where I got to work with him on many occasions in my role at the time as the media relations contact at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. As a former journalist-turned PR professional, I learned a great deal from many transportation and aviation journalists in my early years at NATCA (starting in 2000). Don was incredibly professional, fair, gracious, pleasant, and generous with his knowledge and time. I treasured the opportunities I got to talk with him and it was always a source of pride to be called upon to help him gather information as a source for his reporting. Here is a nice bio that was published by Trains magazine/trains.com <http://trains.com> : https://www.trains.com/pro/freight/class-i/columnist-author-don-phillips-dies/ I invite my fellow Mifnetters to share their recollections of Don. -Doug Church
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revised: 20250507 You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't exactly cost-free. If you'd care to make a small contribution to the effort, please know that it would be greatly appreciated: https://wardell.us/url/mifbit All posts sent to the list should abide by these policies: 1) List members acknowledge that participation in Mifnet is a privilege--not a right. 2) Posts are always off the record, absent specific permission from the author. 3) The tone of discussions is collegial. 4) Posts are expected to be in reasonably good taste. 5) We discuss ideas and not personalities, and we don't speak ill of other Mifnet members. * The Mifnet WEB SITE is: https://www.mifnet.com/ * To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list at any time please visit: https://lists.mifnet.com/ OR: SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: [email protected]?subject=leave * Send Mifnet mailing list POSTS/SUBMISSIONS to: [email protected] * You may reach the person managing The Mifnet at: [email protected] * Please consider the DIGEST version of The Mifnet, which consolidates all list traffic into 1-3 messages daily. See instructions at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * Manage your personal Mifnet SUBSCRIPTION at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * For a list of all available Mifnet commands, SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: [email protected]?subject=help * View The Mifnet LIST POLICIES and PRIVACY POLICY at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/policies * View instructions for Mifnet DELIVERY PROBLEMS at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/delivery-problems * View The Mifnet LIST ARCHIVE at: https://lists.mifnet.com/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/
