Lifetime Achievement: Honoring the Legacy of Don Redwine

It is with profound respect that we honor and celebrate the life and enduring impact of Don Redwine, the distinguished recipient of Ground Support Worldwide's 2025 Lifetime Achievement award.

Redwine, who passed away March 23, 2024, at the age of 64, leaves behind a legacy that transcends decades of dedicated service to the ground support equipment (GSE) industry. He was not merely a professional; he was known to be a man of integrity and kindness, and an advocate for safety and excellence within the field.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Donald Gene Redwine’s journey into aviation began remarkably early. As he once recounted in a 2011 interview with Ground Support Worldwide, which named him Safety Leader of the Year, his first flight in the early 1970s sparked a lifelong fascination.

"I informed my mother I would be in this business somehow," he stated. "It was just way too cool."

This early conviction would shape a career spanning 26 years in the industry, culminating in his role as director of GSE at Southwest Airlines since 2021, a position he held with distinction until his passing.

Don's professional trajectory was marked by a steady ascent and an insatiable desire to learn and contribute. His career began in 1978 as an apprentice A&P at Horton Aero Service. After a brief hiatus from aviation, he returned in 1988 to E.B.A. in Texas, where he quickly rose from production painter to production manager, overseeing the creation of small-scale GSE. His expertise grew with the industry’s evolution, transitioning to a field service technician role when E.B.A. was acquired by DevTec, and later leading a team of field service technicians at TLD, covering a vast geographical expanse.

His move to Southwest Airlines in 2005 as a reliability analyst marked a pivotal chapter, allowing him to channel his deep understanding of GSE into enhancing airline ground safety.

Redwine’s commitment was evident in his active participation in numerous internal committees and groups focused on safety and injury reduction. He was also a valued contributor to external industry bodies such as the SAE G12 and AGE2 groups and the ANSI A92.7 working group. His dedication extended to the crucial work of creating and facilitating safety and technical training programs for Southwest’s global GSE group, ensuring that his knowledge was disseminated to the next generation of professionals.

Rick Waugh, regional GSE manager at Southwest, aptly captured Redwine’s unique ability to connect with and guide his colleagues. Waugh noted that Don "does a tremendous job of working with our end users of our equipment," explaining "the error in their rationale at times, or gives credit where credit is due when they come up with something that has merit.”

This highlights Redwine's balanced approach - he was a leader who was both discerning and supportive, a rare and invaluable combination. Redwine, in turn, always attributed much of his success to the "exceedingly competent group of people" he had the pleasure of working with at Southwest.

Beyond his professional achievements, Redwine was a man of extraordinary character. His friend and business associate, Ben Reeves, fondly recalled Don as "one of the nicest, most pleasant people I’ve ever met in our Industry.” Reeves further illuminated Redwine's professional integrity, stating that while his primary business objective was always to support Southwest Airlines, he was "always willing to look for a solution that was beneficial to both his company and the supplier.” 

Husband to Cindy, father to Jeremiah, Joshua, and Sara, and grandfather to nine grandchildren, Redwine enjoyed designing homes and traveling the world. As his family articulated in his obiturary, while his accomplishments were many, they were "no comparison to kindnesses Don would generously extend to those he loved and knew and to those he just met."

Don Redwine’s passing leaves a void in the ground support industry, but his spirit and his impact will undoubtedly continue to inspire. By all accounts he was a true gentleman, a visionary leader, and a dedicated family man. His legacy is not just etched in the advancements he championed or the safety standards he upheld, but in the countless lives he touched with his generosity and kindness.