I just reread my earlier post about TAG rail. I apologies for the spelling mistakes. My wife was calling me to supper and I pressed send before proof reading. I have made peace with the fact that there may be TAG mysteries I may never solve. One of the TAG folks that I seek to better understand is O. B. Keister Jr. My Keister was TAG president across much of the 1950s and would have been the last chief executive hired by the Coverdale estate before the railroad was sold to Garrison Siskin. There is a letter in my files from a Central of Georgia executive to Mr. Keister congratulating him on getting the job. The writer of the letter is friendly to Mr. Keister as if they were well acquainted. Sadly it doesn't tell where he came from prior to his time at TAG. His father O. B. Keister Sr. was a long-time Southern executive. Mr. Keister left TAG under less than ideal circumstances evidently. Although this is an established fact, I have never been able to find out why. I also had no idea where he landed post TAG. The University of Louisville has digitized the old Louisville & Nashville Railroad employee's magazines. I did a general TAG search there and discovered that he left TAG for a job with the L&N. At first he was a special representative for L&N in Chattanooga. He was soon made special assistant to the L&N president in Louisville. Not long thereafter he left the L&N to run a remote control locomotive company called "Transportation Services Inc." It is my understanding that the Siskins were no fan of the L&N. When the Southern arranged to buy TAG from Mr. Siskin, L&N petitioned for trackage rights. Mr. Siskin and Southern would have none of it. Could Siskin's heartburn with L&N come from Keister leaving TAG for the L&N? I would love to know Mr. Keister Jr.'s background prior to TAG and I would like to know what happened to him after the 1961 article about his remote control locomotive company. I have heard some say that a member of the Keister family was with the Tennessee Central. If anyone has any background on Mr. Keister Jr. I would sure appreciate it. I have actual copies or photocopies of most TAG annual reports. Someone showed me a copy of the one where Mr. Keister came on as president. I was unable to read or copy it and it had a short bio. I sure would love to find a copy again. If anyone knows anything about former TAG president O. B. Keister, I sure would love to hear it!?
Warren Stephens