This piece originally ran in the August 2023 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
Not many people can say that they lost their first tooth in Camper Registration at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, but for Jennifer Hantosh née Neunteufel, EAA 1218066, that’s just one of her many memories of attending AirVenture as a child. Jennifer has been not only attending AirVenture since she was young, but also volunteering. She continues to greet AirVenture attendees as a third-generation volunteer. Jennifer’s grandparents started EAA Chapter 101 in 1962 in Addison, Illinois. The late summer pilgrimage to AirVenture has been a family tradition ever since.
“We would make the trip up to Oshkosh at night so that the kids would sleep on the way,” Jennifer recalled, “and there would always be anticipation once we arrived and started working in Camper Registration.”
If Jennifer’s maiden name sounded familiar, it is because Neunteufel Lane, the road that leads to Camper Registration at Camp Scholler, is named after her grandmother, Dolores Neunteufel. Dolores helped start Chapter 101 with her husband, Al, as well as the family tradition of volunteering at AirVenture. Jill Schumacher, EAA’s manager of convention administration, spoke fondly of the Neunteufel legacy here at Oshkosh. “Jennifer’s family has been deeply involved with EAA for many years, not only during our annual AirVenture gathering, but also at the chapter level. Her grandmother, Dolores, who was a dedicated volunteer in various capacities for decades, groomed Jennifer for the Assistance Center chairman position. Although Jennifer was relatively young when named as chairman, she firmly and confidently grabbed the baton … and has carried on the family tradition of being a first stop welcoming smile for our attendees.”
Now a mom with three kids of her own, Jennifer works at the Assistance Center outside the Main Gate and the Information Booth Kiosk inside the Main Gate. She enjoys seeing people from the start to the finish of their AirVenture experience. “It’s fun to see people in the morning and learn about what they’re excited about,” she said, “and then see them again at the end of the day and hear about what they saw!” She hopes to impart her family tradition of volunteering at AirVenture to her kids. In 2022, she brought her oldest son up a week early for the first time.
She hopes he sees how much of an impact volunteers make on this larger-than-life event. “I hope my kids carry on the tradition of volunteering … seeing that they can contribute to something bigger is valuable I think,” she said. Schumacher applauds how Jennifer is passing down her family legacy. “Jennifer is well respected by her volunteer team — which includes her father, Kenny — as well as EAA staff for her positive attitude, friendly demeanor, and leadership qualities,” Jill said. “She is already involving the next generation of volunteers by having her young daughter in tow as she goes about her chairman tasks. It’s rewarding to witness how much Jennifer cares about EAA as an organization and our AirVenture guests.”
To those thinking about starting your own family tradition of volunteering at AirVenture, take some advice from Jennifer. “Just do it,” she said. “Start somewhere small. There’s something for everybody!”
Volunteers make EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — and just about everything else EAA does — possible. This space in EAA Sport Aviation is dedicated to thanking and shining the spotlight on volunteers from the community. Sadly, it cannot capture all of the thousands of volunteers who give so much to the community every year. So, next time you see a volunteer at AirVenture or elsewhere, however they are pitching in to make EAA better, be sure to thank them for it. It’s the least we can do. Do you know a volunteer you’d like to nominate for Volunteer Spotlight? Visit EAA.org/Submissions.