Photos Courtesy of Rebekah Wenger

Just one of the jobs of an airport manager, removing a roadrunner from the cockpit of an airplane.Grant County Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger has brought great improvements to the little airport that many of the county residents rely on to get to Albuquerque or Phoenix for work, play or as a connection to somewhere else in the country or world.

Wenger, who was unable to attend the May 9, 2024 New Mexico Airport Managers Association, received the group's annual award, Airport Manager of the Year 2024. "I was supposed to be there, but I had injured my back."

"It's always nice to be recognized by your peers," Wenger said in response to the award.

When asked about what she has done to receive this accolade, she said she thought it was because she has not only made improvements to the airport, through seeking grant funding—federal and state —but she also mentors beginning airport managers across the 50 public airports in New Mexico. "Those are just the public airports. It doesn't count the private airstrips that can be spotted all over the state, including in the forests."

She noted: "It's been a full seven years working here."

The story she told about the photo of her removing the roadrunner from the airport: "That was such a funny day. That bird walked past the open door then paused and went back, jumped in and went straight to the cockpit. The pilots were refusing to get on the plane, and it was the day before Thanksgiving. The terminal was packed. I got a huge round of applause when I walked off with the bird."

Wenger said she and her husband have a saying about the weird things that happen while managing airports: "You can't make this stuff up."

(Editor's Note: Rebekah has made noticeable improvements to the airport, as evidenced if you fly regularly, and at most Commission meetings when she gives her report, one or more commissioners thank her for her hard work and what she has done to boost the airport, as one of the major assets of the county.]