Originally published in 2021
By Landan Kuhlmann
The Fort Bend Star
Phil Savko (right) presenting at the 2017 Texas Aviation Conference Airport Manager’s Roundtable. Former Kerrville Municipal Airport Manager, Bruce McKenzie, is seated next to him.
The new terminal at Sugar Land Regional Airport will bear the name of former director of aviation, Phillip W. Savko, according to the city.
The new Phillip W. Savko Terminal is named after Savko, who served as the city’s aviation director for 21 years until he died in 2019, according to a news release.
His tenure included the airport’s first-ever business plan in 1999 that outlined plans for the airport’s role as a corporate business executive airport supporting the local community’s needs for general aviation.
The plan helped the airport net more than $112 million for improvements via federal and state grants, according to the city, including an air traffic control tower and SLRA’s inclusion in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Contract Tower Program in 2001.
Savko also led the construction of a corporate hangar as well as a new general aviation complex with 99 hangars, the release said, and was responsible for the development of two new taxi lanes for corporate aviation development as part of an “unprecedented” expansion of the facility.
“Phil had a long history of exceptional leadership, vision and service that will benefit our community long into the future,” current aviation director Elizabeth Rosenbaum said. “His passion for aviation and our community was infectious and continues to provide a standard for all of us. Phil’s legacy speaks for itself and goes far beyond what a list of accomplishments can capture.”