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Houston Airport System
March 15, 2007
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© Houston Airport System
Al Stepchinski has met some very influential military buddies at Ellington.
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Monday, April 2, 2007, will be Al Stepchinski’s second attempt at saying goodbye to the military base that has seen him grow up from a 17-year-old boy to a 74-year-old great grandfather.
The last time he tried to bid the airport farewell by filing his retirement papers, roughly three years ago, Stepchinski had to ask his supervisor to tear up the submitted forms. At that time, he says, it just wasn’t the right moment.
Now, the planning, construction and design inspector at Ellington Field says the time has come to step down. Part of the reason for his decision, the former Air National Guard fighter pilot explains is that the airport is doing a lot better than it has in a long time.
Construction is rampant at the joint-use civil/military airport as new fixed based operators, more armed services personnel and aviation related businesses prepare for their move in. A new taxi-way, set to open in the coming weeks, is fueling much of this growth.
Stepchinski – a husband, father of two, grandfather of two and great grandfather of one – at times has lived at Ellington Field and considers it a significant part of his life.
“It’s like a life to me,” the retired lieutenant colonel confessed. “I’ve basically worked here all of my life.” |
In 1950, he first walked on to the military base ready to enlist. The youngest of eight children, Stepchinski was only 17 years old at the time. His six older brothers, however, were already enlisted with the National Guard of Texas’ 111th Squadron, today the 147th Texas Air National Guard Fighter Wing.
“There were aircraft and World War II typical barracks all over the place back then,” he remembered.
Someone else who was enlisted in the 111th Squadron at the time was a soldier by the name of George W. Bush. Step as President Bush calls him today flew regular missions with the now-commander-and-chief of the United States.
But it wasn’t Bush who was making the headlines back then. The Stepchinski brothers, at that time, were somewhat of a novelty – a personification of the country’s patriotic identity.
One local newspaper referred to them as the flying brothers of Texas.
Years later, Step would head to Vietnam for a short military mission. As the years progressed so did his rank. In 1988, Lt. Col. Al Stepchinski formerly retired from the Texas Air National Guard.
Leaving Ellington behind was another matter.
Not ready to do so yet, Step joined the City of Houston’s aviation department and continued to work out of the airport for the next 18 years. During that time he oversaw the evolution of Ellington Field, many times over.
“I watched the base go up and down three different times,” Stepchinski recalled.
Today, 57 years of his life have been spent at the 90-year-old joint-use civil/military airport. As he prepares to say goodbye he says the memories of the past five decades will always be in his heart.
“I look around here now and a lot of the buildings that are out here I had the opportunity of putting the first pencil to,” he expressed. “Ellington will always be here. The people will come and go, but Ellington will always be here.”
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