A public memorial for Rod Diridon Sr., the father of modern transit in Silicon Valley, will be held June 25 at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. - Diridon served two combat tours in Vietnam as a U.S.
Naval officer and later became the youngest person elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. - He led the creation of VTA's light-rail system, chaired the study that launched Caltrain, and saved San Jose's historic Cahill Street station.
- Diridon was founding executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute and a passionate climate change advocate. The memorial begins at 2 p.m.
at 135 W. San Carlos St.
He is survived by his wife, Gloria Duffy, two children, and four grandchildren.