After a lifetime of work, John Sutton is ready to retire

  • Published
  • By Vicki Peters, AEDC Contributing Writer
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. --  After 35 years with Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), John Sutton, director of contracting and Franklin County resident, is retiring - ready to take a break and think about his future. As he departs, he shares some of his memories and thoughts for the future of AEDC.

High Mach: How has AEDC evolved during your time at Arnold?

John Sutton: There's been tremendous change over the past 35 years. I arrived at the end of the "ARO" [Arnold Research Organization] era in 1979. Shortly after that the Air Force decided to change the fundamental business model of AEDC and move to an arrangement of multiple prime contractors. That change introduced new people, new ideas, and better ways of doing business. Every time we compete the operating contracts, we try to make AEDC better for our customers and our people.

HM: How do you see the future of AEDC?

Sutton: There's no doubt that change will continue but perhaps at a more rapid pace. Influences outside AEDC are already driving fundamental changes to how we do business today as well as into the future. Once our country's leaders are able to come together and break through the current political gridlock, then I believe AEDC will regain its budget stability and will continue to perform its vital mission well into the future.

HM: How do you think the people and community have contributed to the AEDC mission and its future?

Sutton: I believe just about every business, whether in government or private industry, will tell you their people are the most important asset. That certainly has been and will continue to be true at AEDC. The engineers, crafts people, and administrative folks that work for our operating contractor ATA (Aerospace Testing Alliance) are simply the best in the world at what they do.

HM: How will you remember the relationships you have developed here - business, personal, community?

Sutton: I probably owe more to the Air Force and AEDC than any other individual that works here today. My father started working here in the early 1950s when many of the initial facilities were still being built. Our family depended upon the check he brought home every two weeks. I was probably five years old when I first took a tour of AEDC. I remember I had a hard time figuring out how they fit airplanes into those large wind tunnels and especially how they flew them around those sharp turns. In 1979, I returned to AEDC as a cooperative education student while I was attending Tennessee Tech. I liked it so much, I was eager to come on board as a full time employee. Shortly after that, I met my future wife, Michelle. We were married in early 1982 and both of us have continued working here ever since. While I can never repay the Air Force for all the good things that it made possible, I can say that my family and I will always be grateful.

HM: What are your plans for the future?

Sutton: I really have made no plans at this time. Being raised on a farm, I started working as soon as I was old enough to hoe out a garden. From there, it was milking cows and driving a tractor. I worked while I was in college and then immediately started working at AEDC after graduation. I think maybe I'll just take a break and think long and hard about my next ten years or so.

HM: What will be your fondest memories of your time at AEDC?

Sutton: Obviously meeting my wife and marrying her is the fondest memory I have. Setting that aside, I've had the privilege of working with some of the finest people in both industry and government. Even more important is the sense of purpose here where I believe everyone understands we have a vital role to play in the defense of our country. That sense of purpose makes me feel that I've spent the last 35 years for a noble purpose no matter how small a role I may have played.

HM: What advice would you give to the team you are leaving for the future of AEDC?

Sutton: There's no doubt that major changes are in AEDC's future. I've always been mindful that it's the expertise within our operating contractor work force that makes AEDC what it is today. As an Air Force civilian, we have a special responsibility to ensure senior leadership outside the fence understands that very important difference when compared to most Air Force bases.

HM: Any additional comments?

Sutton: It would be impossible to thank everyone who invested time making me a better employee and a better leader. I am truly grateful to all those individuals. I would also like to thank everyone in my own contracting organization as well as ATA's purchasing organization. I've sincerely appreciated your support over the years and look forward to seeing how you'll successfully meet the challenges of the future.