At 35,000 ft in the air, Ora Poole got the answer to a question she had wondered about for years. Ora was part of the flight attendant team serving the Chicago Bears football team on a charter flight. She had often wondered if someone would actually fit in the overhead luggage compartment. A fellow flight attendant volunteered, and there was no shortage of football players more than willing to help facilitate the experiment.
“As it turns out, she fit just fine,” laughed Ora.
“We sure had some fun back then.”
It was a long way from where she grew up. Ora Poole spent her youth fighting for space with her eight siblings and her mother, all living in a tight one-room shack. Ora and her siblings worked in kitchens and cleaned bathrooms and homes to contribute to the family finances. But her hope was always higher.
After starting a career in social work and realizing she wasn’t ready for that yet, at the suggestion of her sister, Ora applied to be a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and Eastern Airlines. Delta had not yet hired a Black flight attendant at the time, but that was no discouragement to Ora. After receiving offers from both airlines, Ora rode the bus from New Orleans, her home at the time, to Atlanta to accept the job with Delta.
This was 1971, and the first step in a career that lasted over 30 years, through huge changes in both society and air travel.
Originally flying only domestically, Ora was on an overnight in Detroit when the power went out in her hotel. She realized that she didn’t much like cold-weather routes and cities, so she got her Spanish qualifications and began international travel to all sorts of interesting destinations: San Diego, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, etc.
“Barcelona and Madrid were my favorite places to go,” said Ora. “At that time, flying felt so glamorous. People were dressed to the nines, it was kind of a fantasy job. Businesspeople, travelers, people behaved themselves and expected a great experience, and I loved it.”
Over time, the industry changed, and Ora decided international travel wasn’t worth the affect it was having on her sleep and health. So she transitioned back to domestic travel for the remainder of her career, all the way through the major changes that came with post-9/11 air travel.
“That’s when I decided I had no more to give to the industry, it was time for a new chapter,” Ora continued. “Plus Delta’s retirement plan was pretty incredible, and I wanted to take advantage of what it offered.”
Ora’s husband, Jerome, had previously worked for Eastern Airlines, but was now a teacher. The Pooles moved to South Carolina, where Ora rediscovered her love of music. Jerome often made her mixed tapes with Stevie Wonder prominently featured.
“Stevie is my other man,” Ora laughed. “I feel like I can almost see him just by hearing his voice, he expresses himself so well.” Ora was a singer, sharing her talent in her church, and at special events. Since relocating to Atlanta, Ora has also pursued her love of competitive tennis.
“Eventually Jerome began exhibiting signs of dementia, and I knew I wanted to live in a place that would be just right for both of us,” said Ora. “I wasn’t nearly done living independently, but I wanted additional care for Jerome that would really be impactful. I fell in love with Canterbury Court the first time we visited.”
“My love for Jerome feels new all over again every day when I see him. I can’t tell you how important that is to me,” said Ora. “I say every day—I may not be here tomorrow so I’m going to live for today. And we get to do that together.”
Ora has a message for young people who find themselves struggling in life. “Where you are doesn’t not constrain where you can go. I went from a 1-room shack as a kid to the Garden Tower of Canterbury Court. God has taken care of us and looked after us, and you can make your life what you want it to be too, you just have to work for it,” she shared. That sounds like pretty solid advice for all of us.