ATO

I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the people I work work with.  A few weeks ago, our department (Air Terminal Operations) held a party prior to everyone breaking up into their teams and shifts.  These pictures were taken and posted around the cargo bay for everyone to put a face with a name.  There are over 90 people in ATO, which includes Cargo, the Movement Control Center (where I actually work), Shuttles, and the Post Office, but these are either people I see most every day, or friends that I made prior to going to shifts.

These are our bosses:  "Billy T" Turnbull (L), and Pete Cruser (R).  Billy is in charg of ATO, Pete is his manager and is the one who hired me.  I think Pete looks like Kenny Loggins of the Footlose era.  This picture was taken in Pete's office, which is so crammed full of toys (literally, toys) that's there's almost no space to walk.  His window sill has, I dunno, maybe a couple hundred Pez dispensers lined up in it.  Both guys are very well liked by everyone in the department.



These are our Shift Supervisors, Shannon Kalsta and Dave Hanney.  They oversee the MCC and the Cargo Bay.  I'm on Dave's shift.



The four Load Planners.  Molly Moorman (L), Melanie Miller (front, center), and Jen Gebo (back, center).  I got to be friends with Jen while we were training in Christchurch - this is her first year as a Load Planner, too, but had been a Supervisor in the galley for the last few years.  She taught Jr. High science before coming to Antarctica.  Of all the people I know here, Jen would be my best friend -  she is really nice and helped take me in, introduce me to people, and show me around McMurdo.  Melanie is the Senior Load Planner, and is also on my shift with Dave.  Molly and Jen are currently on the night shift with Shannon.



Some of the cargo handlers in the bay.  Luke is on the far left.  I don't see him much anymore, but he's really nice.  Kevin, in the back, is Jen's husband.  He's pretty nice, too, but also on the night shift.



More cargo handlers (Cargo, by far, makes up the largest workgroup within ATO).  Gift, the girl in the blue shirt, was another one of my better friends and also kinda took me in while we were in Christchurch.  She's on the opposite shift, now, too.



The Airfield Supervisors.  They're the counterparts to Shannon and Dave.  Ray, on the far left, is from New Zealand and is a mountain of a man.  It's kinda hard to tell, but the others are sitting on a handrail, and he's standing.  Also on the night shift, but really a great guy.



The Air Transportation team.  They work in the MCC office with us Load Planners.  Their job is to process passengers coming in/out of McMurdo - kinda like gate agents.  Tom Hammon, in the background is their Supervisor.  A really nice guy, he reminds me a lot of Carl Mitchell - smart, nerdy, and very helpful.  I like him a lot.  Tricia Sadler, on the far left, is from Alaska and is a semi-professional photographer.  She has a website for her photos, where she has some really fantastic pictures from all around.  The two girls in the front row, Jamie and Talia, are on my shift.



The Post Master, Kathy Soutter, and her workers.  Because we tag mail as cargo, we Load Planners are officially certified Postal Clerks!



This is "SciCo" (Science Cargo).  They are responsible for sending science shipments (and anything else) out of Antarctica.  Juan Basurto, the older man in the back row, has been doing cargo here for the past 25 years.  In honor of him, the US Advisory Commitee on Antarctic Names officially named a mountain after him - Mount Basurto.  That's pretty cool!

This is Gideon "Gid" Wych.  He's the Cargo Supervisor from Scott Base.  SUPER, super nice guy and is always as cheerful as can be.  He always wears some sort of silly hat.  Usually it's this one, but sometimes he'll have on a hat that looks like that  "sock monkey".  Gid was invited to our ATO party and in return, he's going to host us (the Load Planners and Air Transport team in MCC) for dinner over at Scott Base.  I keep telling him I want one of their uniforms, but he just laughs and says he'd like to have one of his own, too.  They have the best ECW of anyone.  We have our big parkas (Big Red), but they have these really nice, black insulated wind pants and matching parkas.  On the back is their Antarctic logo - an emporer penguin, who's back is also their national symbol - the fern leaf.  You can almost see the smaller version of the same logo on his chest.

So, there they are - the people I see and work with most everyday.