Man believed to be oldest Pullman porter dies at 106

LOS ANGELES – A man believed to have been the oldest living Pullman porter has died at 106.

A family friend told The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/29ctLu1 ) that Lee Wesley Gibson died June 25 at his Los Angeles home.

Gibson began work as a coach attendant with Union Pacific Railroad at the height of the Great Depression. He was later promoted to Pullman porter and travelled the country for 38 years as one of the uniformed railway men who served first-class passengers in luxurious sleeping cars.

The Pullman Co. ended operations of sleeping cars in 1968, and Pullman porters were transferred to Union Pacific and Amtrak. Gibson retired from the railroad in 1974, but he continued working in tax preparation and being actively involved in his community.

He is survived by three daughters.