{"id":189,"date":"2026-05-13T15:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orangecountymoversreport.com\/?p=189"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:06:01","slug":"nations-oldest-tsa-officer-honored-with-surprise-90th-birthday-celebration-at-oc-airport-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangecountymoversreport.com\/?p=189","title":{"rendered":"Nation’s oldest TSA officer honored with surprise 90th birthday celebration at OC airport"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — <\/span>A longtime Transportation Security Administration officer at John Wayne Airport was celebrated this week as colleagues, friends and family gathered to honor his 90th birthday.<\/p>\n

Read more OC mother now charged with involuntary manslaughter following death of 81-year-old man<\/a><\/p>\n

Lawrence Santucci, known throughout the Orange County airport for his upbeat greetings and steady presence, has spent years screening passengers, training new hires and assisting travelers with special needs.<\/p>\n

“I love people. I’ve been a people person from day one,” he said.<\/p>\n

Santucci’s life has been shaped by service, from working on a farm in Rhode Island to serving in the Army.<\/p>\n

“It’s been a beautiful journey. It really has. All the people I’ve ever met, including my crew here,” Santucci said.<\/p>\n

He joined TSA in 2008 in his 70s. He had gone through a challenging time financially after spending many years in the telecommunications industry and had to find a new career path. He was elated when he got the job.<\/p>\n

“You had to be able to carry weights … Sixty pounds,” he recalled. “So I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods, I put two 60 pounds, I was walking around Dick’s Sporting Goods with these two weights to make sure when I came in here I could. I was in great physical shape.”<\/p>\n

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Now recognized as the oldest TSA officer in the country, Santucci arrived at work before sunrise this week unaware that a celebration was waiting for him. Colleagues described him as a positive force at the airport.<\/p>\n

“He greets the day with a smile and it shows and he treats the passengers and his co-workers exactly that way. It’s uplifting,” said Kevin Gregory of TSA.<\/p>\n

TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages called Santucci “inspirational”, adding that he “gets more compliments than probably most of our people here.”<\/p>\n

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Santucci’s daughter, Marie Pickard, said his dedication has always been rooted in putting others first.<\/p>\n

“My dad is so special. He always puts people first and our country first before himself. I think that gives him the sense of purpose that he has to everyone,” Pickard said.<\/p>\n

Read more Investigation underway after Santa Monica College student assaulted, police say<\/a><\/p>\n

Asked whether he had plans to retire, Santucci brushed off the idea.<\/p>\n

“What am I going to do if I retire? Sit down?” he said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lawrence Santucci, a longtime TSA officer at John Wayne Airport, was celebrated as colleagues, friends and family gathered to honor his 90th birthday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[43,50],"class_list":["post-189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-orange-county","tag-society","tag-society-orange-county-santa-ana-orange-county-news-feel-good-good-news-tsa"],"yoast_head":"\nNation's oldest TSA officer honored with surprise 90th birthday celebration at OC airport - Orange County Movers Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orangecountymoversreport.com\/?p=189\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nation's oldest TSA officer honored with surprise 90th birthday celebration at OC airport - 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