A friendly face before the flight

Paul Clinton

A little goodwill goes a long way at John Wayne Airport these days.

With airline travel reduced to a somewhat dreary, anxious march

through a half-dozen airport security checkpoints, ambassadors at John

Wayne are bringing their good cheer to passengers.

These bearers of good feeling are volunteers, usually retirees like

Sherman Adamson.

“If there’s anything I’m trying to do, it’s to make their experience

here as pleasant as I can,” Adamson said. “People going through security

approach me and they’re kind of glum. It’s fun to put a smile on their

face.”

Adamson, who lives in Fountain Valley, volunteers four hours a week --

usually during the 3 to 7 p.m. afternoon shift -- at the airport.

He arrives at the Thomas F. Riley terminal on those days wearing the

candy-apple-red jacket the airport provides him and a “May I Help You?”

button on his lapel.

The 68-year-old Adamson roams around in the terminal’s non-secure

side, outside the boarding and screening area, looking for souls to

guide. He helps them find their boarding gates, locate the restroom and

find another flight if they’ve missed one.

He carries a schedule of arrivals and departures in his goodwill

arsenal.

Adamson is one of 50 airport ambassadors who patrol the terminal

looking to help the traveling public. The program was started in 1998.

Now, more than ever, it has been a balm for jittery travelers. A

friendly face can diffuse the tension, airport spokeswoman Ann McCarley

said.

“That alleviates people’s fears,” she said. “It helps them relax a

little bit.”

As a gent with an avid interest in aviation, Adamson said he feels

right at home at John Wayne.

During the tail end of the the Korean War, Adamson was a Navy pilot.

In the early 1960s, he ran his own helicopter company in San Diego.

Sadly, the business failed. The bank repossessed the copters, but Adamson

was able to parlay the situation into a job in the banking industry.

After Adamson retired from banking, he needed something to occupy his

time. His years of traveling through John Wayne gave him the idea to

volunteer at the airport. It’s an airport that has always brought out

fondness in his heart.

“I’ve always had a strong attachment to this airport,” Adamson said.

“It’s a very user-friendly airport.”