Alan Kiepper, 81, a former Atlanta transit chief

By RICK BADIE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Alan Kiepper, a former Atlanta transit chief, oversaw creation of the MARTA transit system.

Today, he might be pleased with the transit network’s quality, said Sam Massell, the Buckhead Coalition president who was Atlanta mayor when MARTA was built.

But not necessarily its reach.

“People always ask me, ‘When are you going to finish MARTA?’ Mr. Massell said, “and I always answer that I hope it’s never finished. Alan would feel the same way.

“He realized the importance of the rail service continuing to expand. He would be disappointed we haven’t been able to extend it to the surrounding counties.”

In 2002, Mr. Kiepper said as much himself. He was a part of a panel of former MARTA general managers who discussed funding — or the lack thereof — at the American Public Transportation Association’s annual convention, held in Atlanta.

“The thing that saddens me,” he said at the time, “is that the wonderful investment we made in this central part of the [region’s transit] system hasn’t been expanded.”

Mr. Kiepper was Richmond city manager when he got a call from Atlanta, where he’d been Fulton County manager. He served as MARTA general manager from 1972 to 1982; the subway was built with a one-cent sales tax.

“He loved building that line,” said Suzan Kiepper, his wife of 23 years. “We were there for the [1996 Summer Olympics], and he was so proud of how Atlanta handled the Olympics. He loved Atlanta.”

Alan F. Kiepper, 81, of Annapolis, died Wednesday of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 14 at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Annapolis. John M. Taylor Funeral Home in Annapolis is in charge of arrangements.

For Mr. Kiepper, the Atlanta gig launched an expansive career in mass public transportation. He left Atlanta for Houston, where he was transit system manager for seven years. He was credited with improving that city’s bus service. Mr. Kiepper quit when the city scrapped plans for light rail.

In 1990, he was hired as president of the New York transit authority. Later he became a senior vice president at Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global engineering firm.

And in 2002, became a transit consultant for Aeronautical, Radio Incorporated (ARINC), a provider of transport communications and systems engineering solutions, based in Annapolis. He also ran a part-time business, AFK Consultants, LLC.

Mr. Kiepper was born in Syracuse but spent most of his younger years in Dover, New Hampshire. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Accolades include: induction into the American Society for Public Administration’s Hall of Fame; the American Public Transit Association’s Man of the Year; and public service awards from the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Society for Public Administration.

Mr. Kiepper, said Mr. Massell, was the ideal person for the start-up of MARTA.

“We were pleased with his cooperative demeanor,” Mr. Massell said, “and that was important in a new undertaking of this size. He was a big thinker, and big thinkers need money to execute their programs.”

Other survivors include two daughters, Patricia Ferebee of Overland Park, Kan.; and Jane Rosser of Charlotte, N.C.; a son, Paul Kiepper of Atlanta; a brother, James Kiepper of Delmar, N.Y.; and seven grandchildren.