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Linda Healey pictured at Walnut Creek Station. 

Do you have a favorite BART memory or story to share? Email a short summary to BART Storyteller Michelle Robertson at [email protected], and she may follow up to schedule an interview.    

Linda Healey took BART to work for more than twenty years. When her son was young, those daily BART rides were her only downtime in the day.  

“BART got me home to my child quickly,” she said. “And it got me home unstressed because I could relax, rather than sit in traffic. That was a gift.”  

Now retired, Healey still looks back on her BART commute fondly. Each morning, Healey would walk about ten minutes from her home to Walnut Creek Station, where she’d board a San Francisco-bound train.  

During the ride, she finally had a few minutes time to read, and she treasured that time. She alternated between the classics and pure “pleasure reading,” from Finnegan’s Wake to Agatha Christie. Thirty minutes or so later, she’d disembark at one of the Market Street stations in San Francisco and head to work for the day at a large financial institution.  

Healey still takes BART to those same stations, but nowadays, her destination is mostly dinner or the theatre, a lifelong passion of hers. In the eighties, she said she took BART to see the original touring casts of classics like Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Misérables. She’s especially grateful for BART’s Senior Clipper card, which gets her 62.5% off her fare.  

One of Healey’s most treasured BART memories doesn’t involve her commute or theatergoing. Eleven years ago, she met a 21-year-old Italian woman on a train who was traveling alone. Her name was Stefania, and she couldn’t remember which station she was supposed to meet her aunt at, but knew she lived in Danville. Healey suspected Walnut Creek was their meeting place.  

The two women struck up a conversation, and Healey learned Stefania lived in Lucca, Tuscany, and was staying with her aunt for 29 days to practice her English. Healey was charmed by her wit and “beautiful Italian accent.” They chatted the entire way.  

When they got to Walnut Creek Station, Healey made Stefania a deal. She would walk home, wait a few minutes, and then return to the station in her car to make sure Stefania had been picked up. Healey told her, “If you’re still there when I get back, I’ll drive you to your aunt’s place.” She returned a half hour later, but Stefania was nowhere to be found. 

The two women kept up a correspondence, with Healey sometimes helping Stefania with her English class homework. In the decade since, Healey has watched Stefania fall in love, get married, and have a child. She sends Healey baby pictures now. Healey hopes to meet the family in Italy one day.  

“We were at such different points in our lives,” Healey said. “But we just hit it off on BART. It never would have happened if it weren’t for that train ride. I really scored.”  

Healey intends to visit Stefania in Tuscany in the near future. She’ll take BART to the airport, as she always does.  

Today, Healey’s son – now in his thirties and living in Oakland – does the same commute his mother did for so many years, though he hops on the train a few stops up the line. He even works for the same company.  

“I passed the BART baton to him,” Healey said. “Hopefully one day, he’ll get to take it just for fun.”  

About the BART Connects Storytelling Series

The BART Connects storytelling series was launched in 2023 to showcase the real people who ride and rely on BART and illustrate the manifold ways the system affects their lives. You can follow the ongoing series at bart.gov/news. 

The series grew out of BART's Role in the Region Study, which demonstrates BART’s importance to the Bay Area’s mobility, cultural diversity, environmental and economic sustainability. We conducted a call for stories to hear from our riders and understand what BART means to them. The call was publicized on our website, social media, email blasts, and flyering at stations. More than 300 riders responded, and a selection of respondents who opted-in were interviewed for the BART Connects series. 

Pictured at Side by Side in Hayward (l to r): BART Police Deputy Alan Love, Crisis Intervention Specialist Yolanda Barbosa, Side by Side Program Director Myeeka Calhoun, Side by Side Regional Director Larry Woodland, BART Police Officer Shanna Holmes, BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin, and Crisis Intervention Specialist Stephine Barnes. 

In June, you may have noticed a new patch on the shoulders of BART Police officers and staff.  

For Pride Month, Officer Shanna Holmes designed a special patch for staff to wear in acknowledgement of the department’s commitment to support, celebrate, and safeguard the LGBTQ+ community. The patch wasn’t just about showing support; all the proceeds were donated to the Hayward chapter of Side by Side, a nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ young people in Alameda County. In all, BART Police officers and staff purchased about 150 patches, culminating in a donation of $1,100.  

On Monday, July 6, Officer Holmes, Police Chief Kevin Franklin, Deputy Chief Alan Love, members of BART’s Progressive Policing Bureau, and staff visited Side by Side's Hayward location to drop off the donation and tour the youth space. 

Side by Side's Our Space program is a free drop-in center for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 24. It’s a warm, inviting space, full of free resources, activities, games, books, and places to hang out with peers and support staff. The organization, which has locations in Alameda, Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties, also provides behavioral and mental health services, independent living skills training, transitional housing, and individualized care coordination for LGBTQ+ young people, who face disproportionate rates of bullying, housing instability, and involvement in the child welfare system. 

Officer Holmes and Chief Franklin show off their BART Police Pride Month patches in front of Side by Side.

For Officer Holmes, the visit had personal meaning. 

"I grew up in a youth LGBTQ center in the Bay Area; that was my safe space," she said. "Getting to be here, with full support of our command staff and department, is a full circle moment for me.” 

Holmes, who identifies as lesbian, said she has felt that support throughout her career at BART Police.  

"I've always felt safe and supported by this department," she said. 

Chief Franklin said the partnership reflects a larger mission for BART Police.  

"Our goal is to make transit safe for everyone," he said. "To partner with Side by Side helps us bridge the gaps between this community and law enforcement and lets riders know we are here to keep them safe. Everyone is welcome on BART.” 

Program Director Myeeka Calhoun takes BART Police on a tour of Side by Side. 

Program Director Myeeka Calhoun noted that her staff regularly take youth on BART as part of their programming, giving young people firsthand experience navigating the system. The connection feels especially fitting this time of year: for many young people, the BART ride to a Pride event is itself a formative experience, and having visible allies on board matters. 

“This isn’t just a donation. People don’t realize how much programs like this rely on community partnerships and word of mouth,” she said.  

Side by Side Regional Director Larry Woodland added: "To build community is to build purpose, and partnering with you all is about finding shared purpose." 

The Pride patch fundraiser is just the beginning. Officer Holmes has already been invited back to speak at the organization’s next career day.