The Krapfl family is the powerhouse of the Main Gate North Admissions (MGN), with nearly 20 volunteers of siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and in-laws who pitch in each year. The dynamic group started with Mary Krapfl, EAA Lifetime 176646, who 40 years ago began the tradition of volunteering for EAA. She is the first one behind the hard workers that keep the North Gate running smoothly, and while she has retired from her chairman position, she watches very closely over her granddaughter who now leads the crew.
When Mary first came to AirVenture, she attended with her late husband, since he always liked the airplanes. But Mary was more interested in the people. In 1985, she started volunteering by doing different tasks around the grounds like parking airplanes and making sandwiches for Operation Thirst. She eventually joined the MGN crew working in the kitchen and fell in love with the atmosphere they had. She knew then that she needed to recruit more of her relatives as her family continued to grow.
“You only come to Oshkosh for two things,” she said. “You see airplanes and you connect to your family. Your family is everybody from around the world. They’re all here in one place. … I haven’t in all my years ever met anybody you couldn’t like.”
When she became chairman of the MGN, Mary had lots of responsibilities that came with the job. At one point she had 240 volunteers working under her, but she found the perfect place for each and every one of them. She loved and trusted them all.
In 2015, Mary stepped down as chairman and her granddaughter Courtney Renderman, EAA Lifetime 1207801, replaced her in the position, becoming chairman at just 18 years old, and has done a wonderful job. Courtney’s mom, Renee, EAA 1431357, works the first job Mary had with MGN, working in the kitchen. Courtney’s dad, Greg, EAA 1608028, and sister, Kelsey, EAA Lifetime 1612686, work in the MGN information booth, but it doesn’t stop there. When the Renderman family is home, they are all prepping food for the MGN volunteers for the next day.
Since starting, Courtney has set up specific organization standards, smoothing the processes at the MGN by dotting i’s and crossing t’s. With the influx of attendees, many small changes were necessary. She gets out to the grounds by 6 a.m. and doesn’t leave until nearly 8 p.m., rarely leaving the gate.
“Courtney has really stepped into the shoes,” Mary said. “[She’s] done a great job, and I’m very proud of her.”
Courtney had been helping her grandmother with small tasks long before becoming chairman, starting when she was only 9 years old, and began going to chairman meetings at just 13 years old. But that was the Krapfl tradition — to keep the family of volunteers going strong.
“I love aviation and the incredible science behind it, but truly being a part of EAA is the community that we’ve created through Main Gate North and just having that extra support system and EAA family behind you,” Courtney said. “I always live by ‘You’re not promised tomorrow.’ Do things that you love, with people you love. Whether you are a pilot or not, you will find something at EAA to love. Make an impact wherever you can.”
Mary’s son Brian Krapfl, EAA Lifetime 728870, his wife, Ann, EAA Lifetime 1484482, and their daughter, Kaylee, EAA Lifetime 1484483, have all been crucial members of the North Gate crew as well. Brian began volunteering with his mom in his 20s, Ann joined in 2008, and Kaylee started when she was only 5 years old. And every year they’re up at 5 a.m. for the first car ride to the grounds ready to help their family.
AirVenture means a lot of different things to different people, but for the Krapfls it’s the people that keep them coming back each year.
“I think a lot of people do it for the socialization of it, the interaction with people,” Brian said. “It was fun to talk to the people that have never been or talk to the people that it’s their first time from another country or they’ve brought the whole family this year, whatever it was.”
“I always tell people, even if you are not interested in airplanes, come and you’ll find that you’re going to have a good time learning and spending time with people,” Mary concluded.