By Alan Suderman
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
If you’re looking for the new face of retirement living, you’ll find Eagle’s Trace resident Ray Hope.
Only problem is, he’s tough to catch.
Hope is the oldest flight attendant working at Continental Airlines. And his schedule is like that of no other 79-year-old.
Frequent flyer
“Well, on this next trip I’m off to Columbus, Ohio, then back to Houston, then off to Tampa Bay, Florida, where I’ll spend the night. Then I’ll fly back to Houston and on to New Orleans. Then it’s back to Houston again, then down to Cozumel, and then back home,” Hope says, describing a typical work week.
He tends to draw a few stares from surprised passengers. “People usually do a double take when they see me working a flight,” Hope says. “Some will ask me how old I am, and I always tell them to guess.”
Are any right? “They never come close,” he chuckles. “They’re usually off by about ten years.” When passengers find out his real age, more often than not, they tell Hope that he is an inspiration.
Second wind
Flying is Hope’s second career. He was an industrial photographer for 40 years, and he served in the Navy for 10 years.
When he and his wife moved to Houston to be closer to their two daughters, Hope decided to try something new. His youngest daughter, a flight attendant for Continental, told him the company was hiring. Hope says he decided to give it a shot.
“I said, ‘Sure, why not?’” Hope recalls. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Almost 16 years later, he’s still going strong, usually working four days a week in different places around the country and beyond.
“It’s a crapshoot really, like you’re playing the lotto,” Hope says, referring to the unpredictability of the destinations to which he may fly from one week to the next. “Spin the wheel [and] see what you get.”