They
threw a going away party for Jack Lampinski, Senior
Director of the Americas at SWISS WorldCargo. Jack
is retiring at the end of this month after 35 years
at SWISS.
The gala was held at
the beautiful Plattdeutsche Beer Garden near JFK International
Airport. Three of the carrier’s top cargo managers
from past and present were amongst a throng of friends,
family, and customers, all of whom had taken some
time away from the busy Christmas season to show up
for an old friend and say goodbye.
The managers’
group included SWISS Head of Cargo Ashwin Bhat, pictured
above flanked by Oliver Evans, (right) SWISS immediate
past Head of Cargo, and Hans Hofstetter, (left) who
served as top USA executive at Swissair Cargo USA
during the 1980s.
“I’ve known
Jack for 13 years,” Ashwin Bhat said.
“He was cargo
and I was a controller at Swissair when we got to
know each other and became friends.
“Jack has been
the face of SWISS Cargo for 35 years. He has gone
through four brands of the same airline.
“When you call
air cargo a people business, the best living example
of that is Jack Lampinski.
“He is simply
great.
“We will dearly
miss him and wish Jack, Charlene and the family to
live happily ever after,” Ashwin Bhat said.
“All you need
do is look into the face of Jack Lampinski and easily
see that he is a great human being,” said Oliver
Evans.
“Jack Lampinski
has proven during a great career that decency and
dedication can work hand in hand to deliver the best
for both the customer and the company,” Hans
Hofstetter noted.
A wonderful tribute
came during a quiet comment with the always smiling
and cheerful Urs Stulz, SWISS Vice President, Cargo
Central Services, who flew in for the event.
Urs, a 42-year veteran
who, like Jack, has served all his working years with
the Swiss national airline, mused:
“These days many
of the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ generation
jump in and out of the airline business in a couple
of years.
“In our day ‘the
baby boomers,’ as we are called, learned the
business or a trade and stayed with it.
“I’m not
sure where that leaves us in the future but I am certain
that you get to know someone after spending several
decades together separated by a mere ocean.
“For all the time
I have known him, Jack Lampinski was head and shoulders
amongst his peers—a good guy who we are proud
to see finished first.”
Geoffrey
Summer 2015—Jack Lampinski (center) enjoying
an evening with colleagues.
