In his 22 years as a bus operator, Jefrick Dean has driven every bus route out of the East New York Depot in Brooklyn. On his current route, Dean drives from the depot to downtown Brooklyn and back to the depot eight times a day. He works from 6:30 am to 10:30 am, has a two-hour break, and then works again from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Dean welcomes each passenger who gets on by saying, "Take your time. Welcome aboard," and he has gone so far as to learn to say this in Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Haitian Creole and Swahili. He also strives every day to make sure that everyone exits his bus in a better mood than when they entered, and most do.
Bus riders occasionally write or call the NYC Transit Authority to praise a bus operator they view as exemplary. Given the City's bus fleet of 6,000 vehicles that transport an average of 2.7 million riders each week, these "unsolicited commendations" are surprisingly rare. Very few bus operators have accumulated more than a dozen in their careers. Dean has received 132, consistently praised by riders as being, in their words, "extremely special… most extraordinary… compassionate… exemplifies untiring patience … a most shining personality." Dean is the very definition of a civil servant.
Dean became an ordained minister six years ago and has been one of 76 volunteer chaplains serving under Rabbi Harry Berkowitz, the chaplain for the NYC Transit Authority. Rabbi Berkowitz notes, "All of my volunteers are wonderful, but Dean is truly one of the outstanding ones." In 2008, after bus driver Edwin Thomas was murdered by an angry passenger, Dean was "the rock that everybody relied on to get through the grieving."
]]>Bus Operator, New York City Transit Authority
In his 22 years as a bus operator, Jefrick Dean has driven every bus route out of the East New York Depot in Brooklyn. On his current route, Dean drives from the depot to downtown Brooklyn and back to the depot eight times a day. He works from 6:30 am to 10:30 am, has a two-hour break, and then works again from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Dean welcomes each passenger who gets on by saying, "Take your time. Welcome aboard," and he has gone so far as to learn to say this in Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Haitian Creole and Swahili. He also strives every day to make sure that everyone exits his bus in a better mood than when they entered, and most do.
Bus riders occasionally write or call the NYC Transit Authority to praise a bus operator they view as exemplary. Given the City's bus fleet of 6,000 vehicles that transport an average of 2.7 million riders each week, these "unsolicited commendations" are surprisingly rare. Very few bus operators have accumulated more than a dozen in their careers. Dean has received 132, consistently praised by riders as being, in their words, "extremely special… most extraordinary… compassionate… exemplifies untiring patience … a most shining personality." Dean is the very definition of a civil servant.
Dean became an ordained minister six years ago and has been one of 76 volunteer chaplains serving under Rabbi Harry Berkowitz, the chaplain for the NYC Transit Authority. Rabbi Berkowitz notes, "All of my volunteers are wonderful, but Dean is truly one of the outstanding ones." In 2008, after bus driver Edwin Thomas was murdered by an angry passenger, Dean was "the rock that everybody relied on to get through the grieving."
Since September 12, 2001, McConnell has headed GIS at the Office of Emergency Management, when he was drafted from City Planning to coordinate the City's GIS capacity in the aftermath of 9/11. Working with 100 GIS experts from many government agencies and private companies, McConnell and his colleagues made thousands of maps in the first few weeks that were critical in rescue and recovery efforts.
McConnell is frequently described by colleagues as "an extraordinary, consummate professional" because of the scope of his knowledge about all the elements required to use GIS well—"data, software, hardware, people, politics and GIS science." He anticipates what economic, demographic, social, health, education, physical infrastructure data might be needed and gets it by forging rare partnerships with hundreds of public and private agencies. Recently, McConnell created the definitive map of the City's 400-plus subway stations, from the staircases to escape hatches, by obtaining the blue prints and converting them to GIS format. It was immediately useful in containing a track fire at a subway station in Brooklyn. Says OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno, "Quantifying and mapping New York City is McConnell's passion. It would be hard to overstate the benefits that accrue to ordinary New Yorkers because of his quiet and constant leadership."
]]>Whether it is a hurricane, a fire, a flood, a black out or a terrorist threat, the City turns to James McConnell, Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Data, Office of Emergency Management and his team to produce the GIS data maps that are essential to the City's emergency response. Since the late 1980s when GIS emerged as an important technology that captures, manages, analyzes and presents geographically referenced data, McConnell has been one of the GIS trailblazers for the City and is now one of the foremost GIS experts in the country.
Since September 12, 2001, McConnell has headed GIS at the Office of Emergency Management, when he was drafted from City Planning to coordinate the City's GIS capacity in the aftermath of 9/11. Working with 100 GIS experts from many government agencies and private companies, McConnell and his colleagues made thousands of maps in the first few weeks that were critical in rescue and recovery efforts.
McConnell is frequently described by colleagues as "an extraordinary, consummate professional" because of the scope of his knowledge about all the elements required to use GIS well—"data, software, hardware, people, politics and GIS science." He anticipates what economic, demographic, social, health, education, physical infrastructure data might be needed and gets it by forging rare partnerships with hundreds of public and private agencies. Recently, McConnell created the definitive map of the City's 400-plus subway stations, from the staircases to escape hatches, by obtaining the blue prints and converting them to GIS format. It was immediately useful in containing a track fire at a subway station in Brooklyn. Says OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno, "Quantifying and mapping New York City is McConnell's passion. It would be hard to overstate the benefits that accrue to ordinary New Yorkers because of his quiet and constant leadership."
Chief Edward F. Crocker, FDNY, 1908
Jay Jonas, FDNY Battalion Chief: "I try to put it in historical perspective for people: Prior to September 11th, the New York City Fire Department in 136 years of existence lost 752 firemen in the line of duty. During six years of bombing in World War II, the London Fire Brigade lost about 400 people. Prior to September 11th, the largest life-loss the New York City Fire Department experienced was 12 in one incident and that was in 1966. On September 11th, we lost 343 people in 28 minutes." Excerpt: “The Entombed Man’s Tale,” From A Day in September: In Their Own Voices]]>When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work.
Chief Edward F. Crocker, FDNY, 1908
Jay Jonas, FDNY Battalion Chief: "I try to put it in historical perspective for people: Prior to September 11th, the New York City Fire Department in 136 years of existence lost 752 firemen in the line of duty. During six years of bombing in World War II, the London Fire Brigade lost about 400 people. Prior to September 11th, the largest life-loss the New York City Fire Department experienced was 12 in one incident and that was in 1966. On September 11th, we lost 343 people in 28 minutes." Excerpt: “The Entombed Man’s Tale,” From A Day in September: In Their Own Voices