Showing What’s Possible By Example
Focus on People
March 5, 2007
As a lead transportation security officer at Denver International Airport, Shep Root's job is to keep explosives out of the sky. But his hobby is putting them in the sky - as volunteer producer of the Parker, Colo., July 4th fireworks extravaganza.
Root produces the fireworks show in his role as a cultural commissioner for the town, a nonpartisan position he has been appointed to for the past seven years. It's part of 30 years of volunteer executive service in the arts, affordable housing, hunger mitigation and other areas.
Community service is "what my life is made of," said Root, who came out of retirement in September 2002 to join TSA. "I have a 12-year-old daughter, Angelica, and I want her to grow up seeing what's possible just because you want to."
Much of Root's volunteer work has been fueled by his interest in art. He was the founder and director of the Museum of New Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. When he moved to Parker, he founded Halloween with Horses, a family program sponsored by the town that draws more than 10,000 visitors every year.
"When I started this event, I wanted to create ways for people who don't think of themselves as artists to express themselves artistically," he said. So he established an annual costumed horse contest, along with the Stable of Terror haunted house and other attractions. "Some of the costumes are amazingly creative - like the horse dressed as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich led by a kid dressed as a carton of milk," he said.
Root's quest for knowledge has led him on extraordinary adventures. Almost 30 years ago, he set a world record sailing his small motor yacht from Hong Kong to Ft. Lauderdale in about 14 months. In 1981, he led a team of 30 on the TransAmerica Bike Marathon, raising more than $400,000 for The Hunger Project, a non-profit group.
He has served as a volunteer search and rescue worker in Colorado and is a founder of the nonprofit Douglas County (Colo.) Housing Partnership, which provides affordable housing and subsidized financing for low-income families.
For the past six years Root has served as the nonpartisan publicly elected director of the Parker Water and Sanitation District. "It feels good to share responsibility for creating a 1,000-acre lake in Douglas County that will provide water supply and recreational benefits to people for the next 100 years," he said.
He's also proud to be part of TSA's important work in creating a safe environment for post-9/11 travelers. "Life is about giving all you can," he said.
