RIP

The first MTA chairman, William Ronan, has died at the age of 101. Stretching back to 1965 when he was appointed chairman of the then-Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Ronan headed numerous landmark projects, such as the purchase of the Long Island Rail Road, the takeover of multiple commuter lines to create Metro-North, and the beginning of construction on the Second Avenue Subway (still, obviously, ongoing). He went on to head the Port Authority, and later served as a dean at NYU. He was a father to two daughters and was a great-grandfather to three children. [NYP via TRD]