Jean A. Wagner

Jean A. Wagner moved to Glendale in 1984 and became the second woman to hold the rank of Sergeant in the Cincinnati Police Department, working as a 911 Dispatcher. Years earlier, she was part of a ground-breaking study on bail, which led to many changes in the Criminal Justice system and relieved many injustices.

From her earliest days in the Village, Jean’s passion for historic preservation was evident. She oversaw the restoration of several structures including the Knecht Dry Cleaning building, Schatzman’s Hardware and five other homes and buildings. Jean also began actively restoring railroad cars, the last bastion of Art Deco design.

Jean was Vice President of Great American Tours on Rail, also known as the G.A.T.O.R. route. It operated coast-to-coast sleeping-car and dining-car service. Heading an operations role in the notoriously male-dominated industry was a unique position for a woman at that time.

It was during her tenure with the G.A.T.O.R. route that her work to preserve railroad history came to the attention of activists, whose efforts preserved the now historically designated South Beach District of Florida. Jean received the group’s award of achievement for her efforts in the rail industry. Many cars that she restored have become part of collections including those of the Louisiana State Railway Museum, the North Carolina State Transportation Museum, Cincinnati Union Terminal and the Georgia Museum in Atlanta.