MAC MCELHANEY 1958 - 1985 STATION AGENT ABQ I am Jim McElhaney. I started with Frontier Airlines Sep 10, 1966 at FMN. When FMN station closed in 84, to SCK, there til 86 when FL ceased operations. I have been with America West for 18 yrs at ABQ. My brother, Wayman /Mack/ McElhaney, started with FL in ABQ in 1957 and was there until his retirement some 28 yrs later in 85. AWA ABQ works the "new" Frontier flights--five a day. Also AWA has pilots whose fathers flew for the old Frontier that I enjoy talking with about the "old Frontier" and their fathers experiences. My third son, who knew many of the old Frontier guys is now flying a DC10 for NWA. It's a small world....... -Jim McElhaney (9/23/04) I liked both the McElhaney's. Great guys to work with. Blue Skies & Tailwinds... Billy Walker (9/24/13) I think your webpage is outstanding. Thanks so much for listing the obituaries. Some of my colleagues in the ABQ station were on that list along with several stews I knew very well. The pilot's list also got to me. For twenty-seven years to the day, Frontier Airlines was my family so losing one of them is always difficult. Best wishes, -Wayman (Mac) McElhaney... ABQ agent 1958-1985 (10/12/04). I spent my entire career in the ABQ station. When the downsizing began, I took advantage of the early-out program and retired, sold my home and returned to the old family home place in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. Wynnewood is a small community of 2500 people just off I-35 about 68 miles due south of OKC. The old home was built circa 1913 and had been remodeled many times, but termites had ruined it. I tore it down and built a nice one on 1/2 acre in a choice part of town. To augment my merger retirement income, I signed on with the Texas Highway Dept. as their road-building asphalt inspector at our local refinery and have been doing that part-time job for 18 years. Its easy and requires about two hours each weekday. My bosses are in Austin, Texas and I haven't seen them in at least five years, and I'm lucky if I even talk with them on the phone twice a year. I just do my job and they keep sending me a check. Neat, huh? Exactly one year ago this month, I began writing my memoir at the request of my niece who wanted a family history for her two small boys to have when they are grown. Its basically finished at 310 pages of text plus pictures, but I haven't completed the final, final, final, proof read. Its a story of our family's struggle during the Great Depression, but Frontier Airlines is also a part of it. I'm not exactly a Billy Walker or Tex Searle when it comes to literary expertise, but that's alright. The work is just for family anyway. Brother, Jim also worked for FAL starting in the FMN station then went to Stockton and was there when FAL folded. He now works for America West in the ABQ station. Until last week he worked with another old FAL hand, B. K. Myers, but B. K. retired about a week ago. Bad health, I think. B. K. worked in the FMN station in the early 50s before transferring to ABQ. When FAL folded, he went to work for AWA. I noticed in the obituaries where a number of my former colleagues in the ABQ station have passed away. How sad. We were all family. -Wayman McElhaney (10/16/04) I worked with Cliff Brown for years in the ABQ station before he went to DEN and became a Senior Agent there. Once when I was in DEN, Cliff loaned me his vehicle to run some errands. Seems like it was a pickup truck. I really appreciated that because I didn't have to rent an Avis car which was expensive for us agents at the time. Sometime after that, I lost track of him and always wondered if he stayed in DEN until the end. -Mac McElhaney (2/3/05) Working on one's knees for extended periods of time have a very damaging effect. That's why so many rampers wore those ugly looking knee pads. They were nice in the pits but uncomfortable and awkward when walking and had to be removed after the flights were worked so they were a mixed blessing. However, I solved that problem for myself. I sewed two deep pockets inside my work pants, then got two strips of one-inch-thick white foam rubber and placed them inside the pockets. The padding was always in place when needed, and free and out of the way when walking. The only thing is that my pant legs had a very noticeable over-sized look. But, Hey! It really worked and here I am almost 80 and don't have any knee problems at all. -Mac McElhaney (6/26/05) W L MCELHANEY Station agent seniority date of 9/20/58, EMP# 05581, on the 7/1/84 FL/ALEA seniority list. He's not on the 1/1/86 list. -Jake Lamkins (6/23/09) All's reasonably well here. Just getting older-- 84 now. Take care, -Mac McElhaney (9/25/11) I wanted to let you know that Wayman L. "Mac" McElhaney, an employee with Frontier Airlines for 27 years-- to the day (1958-1985) passed away on 09/02/2013. He was 86 years old and died at the VA Medical Center in Dallas, Texas of end stage renal failure. He enjoyed remarkably good health right to the end and stayed active by mowing his acre lot (as well as a neighbors yard) three times a week. It was a "good death"... peaceful and easy, just as he had envisioned. He was a lifelong bachelor who treasured his Frontier Family. He was buried in his hometown of Wynnewood, Oklahoma where he had lived for the last 27 years. He requested no religious ceremony or flowers nor public notice of his passing. My Dad is Jim McElhaney (the other Mac) who was also a long time employee of Frontier Airlines. -Liz McElhaney (Mac's niece) (9/19/13) Dear Liz, Thank you for letting me know about Mac. We had kept in touch over the years but I had not heard from him since 2011 when he helped me locate an old Frontier employee. I'm so sorry for all of you - tell your dad for me. I hope he is well. I'll build a memorial webpage for Mac and email you when it's complete. Visit our webpage to see how they look. Email me anything you and the family would like posted on it. A photograph would be good - the only ones I have of him I have attached in case the family doesn't have them. Mac sent them to me years ago. I have posted your notice of Mac's passing at the Frontier Facebook page so his friends will know. With condolences, -Jake Lamkins (9/19/13) Thanks so much, I'll pass along your condolences to my Dad, I'm headed "home" next week to visit. I'll forward your msg to my brothers incase there is something they would like to add. Again, thank you so much! --Liz McElhaney (9/20/13) My last note from Mac. He was a wonderful fellow. -Billy Walker (9/20/13) ------------------------------------------------------------- From: "W. McElhaney" Date: March 5, 2013, 7:56:33 PM MST To: "Billy \(FAL\) Walker" Subject: A nice encounter Well, it's nice living in a senior center environment these days. Lots of advantages for old folk. This evening as I was sitting at my table in the dining room, there was a black fellow, perhaps his granddaughter and a couple of other fellows sitting nearby. I learned that the black man was a Tuskegee Airman. I went to his table and asked if that was true. It was. I got to shake his hand. That was quite a privilege few people could ever have. He was still razor sharp mentally although in bad physical condition. Not many still around. Just love my new digs. Hope to spend the rest of my life here. No meals to prepare, no floors to mop, no laundry to do, no leaks to fix, no shrubs to trim and no grass to mow. I'm almost in Heaven already. All y'all take good care o' yoself now. Heah? -Wayman Mac McElhaney Worked with Mac in ABQ, Remembered being at his house and seeing the pictures of his trip to Africa. He had a great work ethic. -Richard Pennino (9/20/13) Sorry to hear of Mac's passing. Condolences to his family. -Barbara Brown (9/20/13) W. L. MCELHANEY ABQ station agent DOB 2/6/27 DOH 9/20/58 per the Feb 1960 FL Roster. W L MCELHANEY Station agent seniority date of 9/20/58, emp# 05581, per the 7/1/84 FL/ALEA Seniority List. He is not on the 1/1/86 list. His 9/25/11 email says he left in Sep 1985. -Jake Lamkins (9/24/13) Posted at FLacebook and FL Club: ABQ station agent Mac McElhaney's memorial webpage has been posted. http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Mac_McElhaney.html Still need a good photo of Mac. -Jake Lamkins (9/24/13) I am Barry Poole, I was a room mate of Mac's, Mac owned a beautiful house in ABQ N.M. he rented a room to me for about a year or so. That was a great time in my life, both Mac and I worked for Frontier Airlines. We even had the same work schedule (2:00pm til 10:30pm). Mac was the father I never had. He helped me out of so many tight spots, don't need to go into details, but believe me it was things that only a dad does for a son. I was fortunate to spend some time with Mac prior to his passing. I visited with him in Wynnewood, OK. and in DFW. Mac and I were the best of friends, we walked the same philosophical road in life. I will miss Mac, he was a one of a kind, a true gentleman up to the very end. May God bless you Mac -Barry Poole (9/25/13) I worked with "Mac" McElhaney at ABQ. He grew up in Wynnewood, OK. He told us that the biggest occasion there was watching the traffic go through town when Oklahoma and Texas played football. An excellent agent and a good friend. If anything, Mac was too easy going. He never married, and for years Al Cifferi roomed with him, until Al got married. Mac took in another roomer and he was not what Mac was looking for. Mac found a greasy substance on his stove's burners and couldn't figure out what it was. He asked the new roomy and found out he was grilling hotdogs over the gas burners on a fork. The final straw came when the new roomy brought some of his girlfriends home and ruined Mac's sheets (not his own, of course) while Mac was at work. -Jim Wilds (10/26/13)