SULLIVAN COUNTY — He could tell you what President Barack Obama liked for a snack. He could share which pillow President George W. Bush preferred on overnight trips. He could even tell you who President Bill Clinton invited to join him for dinner en route to a foreign country…but will he?

His name is Senior Master Sergeant Roland Paramore. And as a retired Air Force Flight Attendant who worked aboard Air Force One for many years, he’s professional to the core. This obligates him to preserve what little privacy that Presidents of the United States of America still possess. Therefore, we will all have to wonder about the snacks, pillows, and dinner guests of our American Presidents!

Born in Monticello in 1966, Roland graduated in 1984 from Monticello High School, where he was honored several years ago on Monticello’s Wall Of Distinction, where the Alumni of Monticello get duly recognition for their accomplishments.

“For him, there was added prestige as his African American roots displayed what anyone could do when they set their heart to it, paid things forward, and were productive,” said his cousin, Dorothy “Dottie” McCoy. The same sentiment was shared by his parents Robert and Minnie Paramore. His mother still resides in Monticello, and his father passed away years ago.

How did Roland feel about this extraordinary accomplishment to be a Chief Flight Attendant to U.S. Presidents? He felt he was a likeable guy and a hard worker, and those attributes made the job a great fit for him. His duties were to make sure that the President and his family were well cared for by the staff that worked with him during many flight hours, crisscrossing the nation and the world.

Roland entered the Air Force a few months after graduation, having set his mind to “fly high” as the Air Force motto reads (this motto goes back to the Air Force’s establishment in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman).

The Air Force gladly gave Airman Paramore the opportunity to fly high, as he traveled to many places in his 27-year career, landing him in England, then back to the United States in Florida, then overseas to South Korea, Italy, Turkey, Guam, and Japan with brief deployments to Kuwait, Alaska, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand. He essentially relocated every two to three years, which he took all in stride, as these were his marching orders.

In 1999, Roland was sent back to the States, where he had reached the top level as a supply support specialist and a decorated airman. The Air Force gave him the choice of assignments in the United States, and he chose to be an “in-flight passenger service specialist.”

He then earned an assignment to the 99th Airlift Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base in Metro Washington, where he had several stints assigned to President Bill Clinton and his family. He then became permanent in April of 2001. Over the next decade, Paramore rose through the ranks…becoming the superintendent of the Presidential Flight Attendants and also President Barack Obama’s Chief Attendant.

One time when the assignment took Paramore to Stewart Air Base in Newburgh, near his home in Monticello, his Mother had the opportunity to visit her son and see how elegant Air Force One was in person.

Paramore’s service was the longest with President Bush, who he got to know very well. To him, President Bush was very personable, a practical joker, and down to earth. The legacy that Airman Paramore left is that his Nephew, Lakeith Manson, is now a Military Flight Attendant aboard Air Force Two, assigned to President Joe Biden’s plane.