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A group of Ames residents assemble to welcome a special Amtrak train as it passed through Ames on December 9, 1986 (see p. C1, December 10, 1986, AMTRAK ROLLS TO ROUSING AMES WELCOME, in "The Ames Tribune). F. Paul Goodland (3/19/1930-9/7/2004), during his tenure as mayor of Ames from 1980-1990, worked hard to convince the federal railroad officials to route Amtrak through central, rather than southern, Iowa and hence through Ames. He wanted to re-open the old Chicago & North Western railroad depot as an Amtrak depot. In this photo people are holding placards that read "GIVE FARMERS SOME CREDIT" and "FAMILY FARMERS NEED A HELPING HAND," taking advantage of the media coverage to get some publicity for Iowa's farm crisis of the 1980s.