Fred G. Gurley (1889 – July 4, 1976) was president and executive committee chairman of

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

. Gurley began his railroad career in 1906 on the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

, where he worked his way up to become an assistant vice president. In 1939 he transferred to the Santa Fe as a vice president; he was elected president and executive committee chairman of the Santa Fe in 1944. On July 17, 1955, Gurley appeared on ''Dateline: Disneyland''; the special broadcast of the opening of

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

. Gurley, along with

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

and California Governor

Goodwin Knight Goodwin Jess "Goodie" Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was an American politician and judge who served as the 31st governor of California from 1953 to 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 35th lieutenant ...

operated the inaugural running of the

Disneyland Railroad The Disneyland Railroad (DRR), formerly known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3-foot () narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in ...

; advertised at the time as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. Gurley retired in 1959, but stayed on as a director until 1964. At that time, he was named an honorary director for life by the railroad.

Legacy

* Engine No. 3 of the

is named "Fred Gurley", it began service there on March 28, 1958.

References

* 1889 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American railroad executives Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway presidents {{US-rail-bio-stub