Another fun find from the archives is this vintage bus ad featuring Miss August Commuter 1961, Janet Zwick. In a campaign similar to New York’s “Miss Subways,” TriMet’s predecessor, Rose City Transit, showcased the photos and biographies of young, local women on buses throughout the Portland area. Women were chosen by the then-renowned modeling agent, John Robert Powers. His ideal was the girl next door, no “glamour gal types or hand-painted masterpieces.” Times have changed in the 52 years since this poster—you won’t see beauty pageant-type ads like this on today’s buses and trains.

This poster of Janet Zwick appeared on buses throughout Portland in August 1961.

At the time Janet had a “penchant for pink and broiled grapefruit,” was an avid skier and swim instructor for the Red Cross, and was headed to the University of Oregon to study social services.

Do you remember these Miss Commuter ads? Do you remember Janet Zwick?

P.S. Anyone have good broiled grapefruit recipes to share?

1980s vintage TriMet advertisement

From disco to the suave-styling of Magnum P.I., the 1970s and 80s were quite a time. We went to the “vault” and discovered some fun TriMet print ads from that era.

For more information on the history of Portland public transit, visit trimet.org/history

Do you remember where you were in 1975? Were you even born? It’s always neat to take a look back at the life and times of past decades. What was the pulse of society? Is there a song, food, or scent that can instantly transport you back in time?

Here’s a sampling of TriMet monthly passes ranging from 1975 to the mid-1990s. Can you get a sense of the times by looking at the designs?

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