Green Lake resident Nathanael (Nate) Chappelle was recognized as one of two King County Metro Transit's Operators of the Year on Aug. 11."I am proud of it because it's from my peers, and I think that for someone to think that highly of you is great," Chappelle said. "It really felt good that my peers thought that highly of me to have this honor."Loretta Brown, who is the base chief where he works, described Chappelle as being "very kind." She recalled how he once saved a man from committing suicide while driving a bus. "Someone was sitting on the overpass to jump," Brown explained. "He stopped his coach and had his passengers wait, and [he] talked with the man and kept him calm until aid and other people arrived." THE WORK ETHICDuring the nomination and voting for Operator of the Year Chappelle said he had no idea what was going on. "The list is based on perfect attendance for the last six months with no preventable accidents for the last 12 months," explained base supervisor Bill Burdick. "We generate a computer list, and his name was on it," he added. "The chief nominates him, and the operators select." As an employee, Burdick said, "Nate is a very capable transit operator. We can depend on him. He is always here.... It's an honor to work with him."THE DRIVEAfter serving in the military for 13 years, Chappelle decided to move from San Francisco to Seattle. He said he didn't have any idea what kind of job he would find. After a friend told him that Metro Transit was hiring, he thought he'd work for a few days, but he's stayed for the long haul.Chappelle had worked as a trolley driver for 30 years in Seattle. He now works for the Atlantic Metro base in Seattle. A typical day for him begins at 2:30 p.m. "I just know at what time I am starting, but I don't know at what time I will leave," he said. Chappelle said he doesn't have a route that he drives every day. He is at the station on standby and picks up work for those drivers who are late or cannot make it to work. For him, there isn't a favorite route; every day at Metro is a new adventure."I don't like to look at it as being a favorite route; I like to look at it as being interesting," Chappell said. "The people are interesting, the geography is interesting, the families are interesting. It's like a melting pot; it's almost like an encyclopedia." THE PASSENGERSChappelle has found many interesting passengers in his years of being an operator, including a snake, a parrot and a rabbit. "There was one lady who used to get on the bus with a snake around her neck, and everyone would just clear away from her. I think it was a python," he recalled. "There was this guy who brought his parrot all the time," he continued. "And another guy who had a carrier in which he carried his rabbit and cat." Chappelle said that when he started working as an operator he created bonds with his elderly passengers whom he would take to the hospital. He no longer likes to do that because he feels that sometimes it's difficult to see them go. "I got to know the elderly people and I got really personal, and that's kind of bad," Chappelle explained. "Then they were like family, and then they would die off, and it was just too much." [[In-content Ad]]
