By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Prior to becoming manager of Hereford Municipal Airport (KHRX) in 2012, Shawn Frye worked as manager of the Hereford Aquatic Center for 18 years. If you think the leap from teaching swimming to running an airport is a bit farfetched, you are not familiar with the Frye family legacy that runs through three generations. Frye’s grandfather, C.G. Frye, was a flight instructor who also established a crop dusting business in Oklahoma in the 1940s. Her father, Ray Frye, brought his dad’s company (American Dusting Company) to Hereford in 1951. They worked at the same airport his daughter now supervises.
“My dad had his crop dusting business on this field for over 40 years,” said Frye. “When he arrived here in the early 50s there was nothing out here but dirt. He was an icon here and I loved coming out to the airport as a kid.”
The airport recently underwent several projects that initially began in 2015. The projects included a complete reconstruction of taxiways, apron, aircraft parking areas, and improvements to the airport entrance road and drainage.
Hereford Municipal Airport Manager Shawn Frye alongside the sign she designed.
According to Frye, the work was done so the airport could accommodate larger aircraft.
“The project was necessary for the larger aircraft that fly in,” said Frye. “We have a lot of corporate travel here. We have two ethanol plants, lots of turbine wind farms and two meat packing plants. We basically transitioned from asphalt to concrete. The durability of the concrete will be better and last much longer.”
Frye also gave the airport her personal touch by designing the airport entrance sign. She and her assistant, Cayden Finch, share all the duties that include fueling planes to welcoming pilots and passengers who may be visiting her home town for the first time.
“Meeting people and hearing their stories is the best part of my job,” said Frye. “I love working out here…it feels like home.”