A passion for transport

Oct. 11—A former Tennessee Congressman and former president of Cumberland University was honored for his work in public railway transportation this week.

"It is a great honor, and I know how hard I worked to help Tennessee and help the country," Bob Clement said. "I believe in rail passenger service, because it's environmentally friendly. I don't think I have to tell you about how much gridlock and delays we have these days because of traffic congestion. We need alternate modes of travel. A railroad passenger service would serve us well in the future."

Clement, 80, received the the American Public Transportation Association's Distinguished Service Award during the organization's annual conference in Florida.

His passion for railway transportation began when his father — Frank G. Clement — was governor of Tennessee, which spanned from 1953-59 and from 1963-67.

"He always helped organized the Billy Graham trains out of Nashville going to Chicago and New York and New Orleans and Los Angeles," Clement said. "I'd always ride those trains as a kid, because I was 9 years old when my father was elected governor. It started there."

During his time in Congress from 1988-2003, Clement was a senior member of the Congressional Transportation Committee.

"I really wanted a rail passenger service for Tennessee," Clement said. "I really wanted it to go from Murfreesboro to Nashville and Lebanon to Nashville and Gallatin to Nashville.

"I was running into real problems with the CSX Railroad. They did not want rail passenger service on their line. The short line railroad that serves Lebanon to Nashville said, 'Congressman Clement, if you can help us get federal money to establish the railroad passenger service, we would love it.' They gave us access to the track."

Since then, a number of stations have been built along the Nashville Eastern Railroad.

"Where stations were built, a lot of economic development occurred," Clement said.

Clement had a hand in getting the funding for the Music City Star rail service, which is now known as WeGo Transit.

"WeGo has been very successful and done very well," Clement said. "Unfortunately, nationally, the South in my opinion has been overlooked and neglected when it comes to rail passenger service."

Even though he is no longer a public servant, Clement is still passionate about public railway transportation.

"We've got to have more rail passenger service," Clement said. "It's got to be dependable, and it's got to be on time."

Before being elected to congress in 1988, Clement was president of Cumberland University in Lebanon from 1983-1987.

"It was a great experience," Clement said. "It was on my bucket list of things to do in my life, being a college president."

In the four-plus years that Clement was Cumberland University's president, he and his family lived on campus. He also helped the university transition from a two-year college to a four-year university.

"It was dying," Clement said of the school. "It was a two-year college, and with all the community colleges in the state, they just couldn't compete anymore as a two-year college. If it had stayed as a two-year college, it would have been out of business a long time ago."