North Texans used to believe that investing in the public good could help us accomplish big things, and few leaders have exemplified that spirit as Walt Humann has. And there’s more he can teach us yet.
Our newsroom colleague Lilly Kersh reported earlier this month about how Humann, 88, is working to save Dallas Area Rapid Transit — the agency he helped found some four decades ago — as some of its member cities seek to abandon it.
No one is pretending DART is perfect, but dismantling it would be a short-sighted mistake. It’s heartening that someone so well established as a civic leader is standing up for our regional transit system.
Humann’s continued leadership does leave us wondering, though. When will the next generation of leaders step up? Dallas has too few civic leaders of today, the younger generation with Humann’s stature, stepping forward to lead on big civic projects. Who’s going to shepherd the city and region as we take the next leap into the future?
Opinion
Think about Humann’s record. The former Hunt Oil Co. chief executive spent his days leading an international company. In his spare time, he helped to desegregate Dallas schools; he led an effort to transform South Dallas’ Jubilee Park; he played a key role in steering the remaking of North Central Expressway; he fought to give us a vision for a better Fair Park, and he pushed for us to build one of the longest light rail systems in the country.
Looking at the scope of this accomplishment in business and civic life, no one should complain about not having enough time to help their city.
And Humann isn’t stopping. Last year, DART’s feud with some member cities escalated to the Legislature. Humann was among those who stood in opposition to a bill that would have crippled the agency.
“We were working together to build a dream that basically supported regional transit to create a viable, long term alternative to growing, costly highway congestion, dedicated to the region and not to the individual cities,” he said.
Humann requested that the DART board and the member cities be allowed to work their issues out. “In my experience in business and in community affairs, there’s always a win-win solution if you dig deep enough,” he said.
Now, Highland Park, Farmers Branch, University Park, Plano and Irving have called elections to decide whether to remain part of DART. And Humann is speaking up again.
Humann might lose this battle. But in the long run, nothing can take away the dedicated right of way or miles of track laid for transit. Humann wasn’t ever thinking about next year’s budget; he was thinking of coming generations.
We urge other successful business and civic leaders in Dallas to think hard about what their legacies will be. We desperately need more leaders like Walt Humann. We need people who want to leave our city a better place than they found it.
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