Tom Cooper has served as a member of the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport’s Fire Fighter’s crew for fifteen years. Before joining, he had previously worked in the Ithaca region as a truck driver and excavator. He began his position as a trainee before working his way up to a full-time member of the Fire Fighting crew. Since then, he has enjoyed coming to work every day, even returning only a week after having throat surgery.

His favorite part of working at the airport is interacting with passengers. As part of his position, he assists them with luggage and other issues at the terminal. Through this aspect, he has encountered several celebrities, including Chevy Chase, Whoopi Goldberg, and Oprah Winfrey – whose plane he did not like!

In his spare time, Tom enjoys learning about local history related to the airport and aviation. As an Ithaca native, he likes watching the seasons change. When travelling, his favorite places to fly to are San Francisco, San Diego, and Colorado.

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