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FAA official greets retirement with plans for family |
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Thursday, 03 January 2008 |
 Robert A. Edwards of Benton says he is meeting one of his life’s goals.
Edwards, 59, is retiring after nearly 35 years of service with the Federal Aviation Administration. The one thing he’s most looking forward to is spending time with his four grandchildren — and taking the step before he turns 60.
“I always wanted to retire before I was 60,” Edwards said, adding that working “was starting to cut in my time with the grandchildren.”
Edwards was honored last month at a ceremony attended by around 100 people. In addition to Arkansas, people came such places as Lubbock and Forth Worth, Texas, he said.
“I felt very fortunate to have them come,” he said via telephone today, his last official day. He leaves as manager of East Arkansas System Support Center, a position he’s held since 1995.
At the ceremony, Edwards received various certificates for his service in Louisiana and Arkansas. State Rep. Lamont Cornwell, D-Benton, and state Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, were there to present Edwards his honors.
Edwards also received a proclamation from Saline County Judge Lanny Fite and a retirement certificate from Marilyn Cox, FAA manager with the Forth Worth District Office. A U.S. flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol in his honor, and he received a certificate from John Knight, state director of aeronautics, as well as letters from U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and FAA Director Jo Tarrh.
Edwards said he was eligible to retire at 55, but decided to keep working until a governmental transition was completed. Departments were combined to create the Air Traffic Organization.
“I’ve met a lot of people through the years, and they’ve said they’re losing a legend,” Edwards said.
Edwards credits his wife of 38 years, JoAnn, as a “big part of his success.” They are members of First Baptist Church in Benton, where he is a deacon and she is a librarian.
In addition to spending more time with his family, Edwards said he hopes to “start playing golf again, which I haven’t done since 1995 when the national performance review began.”
Edwards also enjoys history and looks forward to becoming more involved with the Saline County History and Heritage Society. He is vice president of the historic Shoppach House Board of Directors.
Edwards also will be busy in the coming months with the Benton Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Safety, comprised of individuals and public officials that will determine ways to ensure that Benton maintains the best possible emergency services.
Born at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier Parish, La., Edwards was raised in Shreveport, La., and graduated from Fair Park High School in that city.
He enlisted in the Air Force in 1968. After stints in Alaska and Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, he was discharged in 1973.
He then went to work for Texas Instruments in Plano, Texas, as an engineering technician to design and build radar systems. In 1974, he tested and accepted the radar system in use now at Little Rock National Airport.
Edwards came to Little Rock in 1980 as a radar specialist on the technical support staff of the Little Rock Airways Facilities Sector. In 1987 he returned for a short time to Monroe, La., where he had worked in 1979 as a radar technician.
He returned in 1990 to Little Rock as the radar field office manager at the airport and held the position until 1995 when he became manager of the SSC.
During his time in that capacity, he noted that he and his employees were instrumental in establishing new navigational aids, instrument landing systems and weather systems at Batesville, Hot Springs, Little Rock National, Newport, North Little Rock, Stuttgart, Walnut Ridge and the new Saline County Airport.
In his years of service, Edwards has received numerous awards, including Top Gun award for Best System Support Center in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and National Office of the year in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
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