Kight, John, d. 1989

John Kight was a long time employee and historian of successive transportation companies in San Antonio. The records of VIA Metropolitan Transit, kept by Kight, include material from the beginning of mass transit in San Antonio in 1878 to 1990. Kight worked in the maintenance shop of the transportation companies from 1926-1974. Kight continued to write about transportation history until his death in 1989. Kight also kept the papers of F. Norman "Pinky" Hill, General Manager of the San Antonio Transit System from 1959 to 1977.

From the description of John Kight transportation collection, 1878-1990 1920-1977. (University of Texas at San Antonio). WorldCat record id: 40614659

John Kight was the company historian and custodian of the records of VIA Metropolitan Transit (VIA). Beginning in 1926, he worked in the maintenance shop for the various successive transportation companies in San Antonio. He retired from the San Antonio Transit System in 1974 but maintained an active interest in San Antonio's transportation history until his death in June 1989. During his career and even after his retirement, Kight wrote extensively on transportation history in company publications. The records of VIA, kept by Kight, include material from predecessor transportation companies dating back to the late 19th century; however, most date from 1920-1977. Using his skill as a photographer, Kight also made a detailed visual record of San Antonio's public transportation system in the 20th century.

VIA began operating one hundred years after mass transportation in San Antonio began with cars being pulled along rails by mules in 1878. With a population of 12, 256, San Antonio was then the largest city in Texas. Five different companies began operating electric streetcar service in the 1890s. The lack of standardization and cooperation between the companies caused problems for people who needed to use more than one line. By 1900, the five companies had been consolidated into the San Antonio Traction Company, a single company responsible for all mass transportation in San Antonio. Between 1900 and when VIA began operating in March 1978, mass transportation in San Antonio was run by a succession of separate companies. A brief chronology of the different transit companies in San Antonio is listed after this note. Mass transportation in San Antonio became publicly owned in 1959.

VIA, the first regional transit authority in the nation, and its predecessor companies made many milestones in the history of mass transportation. As advances in technology made improvements possible, San Antonio would be among the first places where innovations were tried. For example, bus service started in 1917 when a converted truck was used to transport servicemen between Fort Sam Houston and downtown. Buses became more and more common in San Antonio throughout the 1920's. Touring buses for sightseers began in 1930. San Antonio was the largest city in the United States to completely convert from streetcars to buses in 1933. Fifty years later rubber tired reproductions of streetcars were put into service on downtown streets by VIA. San Antonio was also the first city in the world to offer air conditioned bus service in 1947. In addition, the maintenance department of the San Antonio Transit System redesigned the air conditioners of the Diesel powered "Dreamliner" buses that arrived in 1960. General Motors adopted the San Antonio design for all Dreamliners. San Antonio was also one of the first cities to use an automatic vehicle monitoring system to pinpoint the location of buses on routes.

Mr. Kight also kept the papers of F. Norman "Pinky" Hill. Mr. Hill was the General Manager of the San Antonio Transit System from 1959 to 1977 and an officer of the American Transit Association (ATA) serving as president in 1967-1968. Prior to his arrival in San Antonio, Mr. Hill held positions with the St. Joseph [Missouri] Railway, Light, Heat and Power Company (1942-1945), National City Lines in St. Louis (1945-1948) and the Baltimore Transit Company (1948-1951). He was also president of the Capitol Transit Company (1951-1955) and Red Arrow Freight Lines (1955-1959) both in Little Rock, Arkansas.

San Antonio Public Transportation Timeline

• 1878: San Antonio Street Railway Company begins operating between downtown and San Pedro Springs. Cars were pulled along tracks by mules and horses
• 1889: San Antonio Edison Company formed to create and power an electric railway system.
• Sept. 1890: First electric streetcar operated by San Antonio Edison Company (Hot Wells line).
• 1890: San Antonio Street Railway Company replaces the mules with electric streetcars. Alamo Electric Railway Company formed. Rapid Transit Company formed. A 5th company ran a line to West End Lake.
• 1898 - 1900 : All five companies which run streetcars in San Antonio merge and form the San Antonio Traction Company.
• 1917: San Antonio Traction Company merges with San Antonio Gas and Electric Company and becomes the Traction Department of the San Antonio Public Service Company.
• 1931: Traction Department renamed Transportation Department.
• 1941 - 1942 : Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority tries to purchase San Antonio Public Service Company.
• Oct. 1942: San Antonio City Commissioners buy San Antonio Public Service Company and create City Public Service Board.
• Dec. 1942: Transportation Department of City Public Service Board sold to Smith, Young, Tower Corporation, which forms the San Antonio Transit Company.
• May 1959: City of San Antonio purchases San Antonio Transit Company. The San Antonio Transit System is formed.
• Mar. 1978: Following voter approval, the San Antonio Transit System is dissolved and the county wide VIA Metropolitan Transit begins operations

From the guide to the John Kight Transportation Collection MS 26., 1878-1990, (University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections)