Trailblazing Aviation Authority Board member remembered for her many contributions to TPA
Adelaide Few served as the first female member of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board through the 1980’s and was a longtime fan of TPA before passing away Friday.
Tampa International Airport is mourning the loss a Adelaide Few, the Airport’s first ever female Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board of Directors after she was appointed to the Board by Florida Governor Bob Graham in 1980.
Few would go on to Chair the HCAA Board and would help guide the Aviation Authority through times of steady growth helping to oversee major projects like the construction and opening of Airside F, early development decisions for Authority-owned land and initial concepts of the Airport’s first long-range Master Plan.
“It couldn’t have been a better experience,” said Few in a 2023 interview. “I felt the responsibility. And I felt like I proved to myself and everyone else that a woman could do it too.”
Few would go on to get her law degree in 1985 and credits her experience on the Aviation Authority Board with giving her the confidence to go back to school.
Even after leaving the Board, Few would often speak of her pride surrounding Tampa International Airport. She visited TPA in 2023 with other legacy Board Members to learn more about the Airport's latest plans and tour its new SkyCenter One office building.
“Every time I walk in the Airport, I am proud, proud, proud," she said during her visit. "And the more I travel, the prouder I am.”
In a statement posted to her Facebook page, family members said, “We are all extremely grateful for the love and support of her friends, care, doctors, and community.”
Few passed away at 87 years old, surrounded by her family members after a courageous battle with cancer. She had survived non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 20 years earlier.
“We are thankful that this battle was short and that she was as comfortable as possible until the very end,” the statement read.
A memorial service and celebration of life are planned for later this year and will be announced at a later date.
To read more about the contributions made by Few and other early female leaders, click here.