SIDEBAR: New public works superintendent has fondness for aviation

LOMBARD, Illinois--Working with wood is only one way Tom Ellis, Lombard's new Operations Superintendent in Public Works, spends his free time. Another big chunk of it is spent flying. Obtaining his pilot's license was a long-time goal, which he accomplished with money earned through a second, part-time job to pay for the flight lessons.

“My grandfather built an airport next to our family farm in Morris in the 1940s,” Ellis related, “so that he and the other farmers had a way of shipping their chickens. I had always wanted to learn to fly so that I could fly my mother into the family airport,” he added. Ellis recalls that while growing up in Morris, the National Guard would fly into the family airport to have lunch. “It always fascinated me and I always wanted to learn to fly,” he said. “And I did.”

Not only did he learn to fly, but Ellis has built and flown his own helicopter and is currently 95% complete in building his own aluminum, two-seater RV-8 airplane--in his garage. “My goal is to paint it this winter and have it ready to fly in the summer,” he said. A project which is five years in the making, Ellis plans to paint the airplane in WWII style paint scheme to honor veterans.

His interest in aviation is only one interesting characteristic of Ellis. He shared that he formerly provided security in the White House for the National Security Council and for the 41st President, George Bush. This work occurred while he was in the Marines, which he joined after high school. “I met a lot of interesting people,” he admitted.

And, there's more. Ellis also shared that he is a direct descendent of Pilgrims on the Mayflower. “The first New England baby born in the New World in 1620, ‘Perigrine White,' is related to me,” he said. He points it out as an “interesting fact.”

“Interesting” just about sums up the Village's new operations superintendent, who is enjoying his hobby of flying as well as his dream job.