Five summers ago, F. Cooper Adamo (Cooper) spent his days researching postliberalism as a Shaftesbury Fellow. Now, he works on jet engines that power America’s fleet of C-17s and KC-46s. While Cooper’s journey from Shaftesbury Fellow to aerospace engineer may be unconventional, his story points to the value of leaders with an interdisciplinary background.
Cooper is an engineer with the United States Air Force Civilian Service at Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City. He works on the sustainment programs for the F117 and F139 engines, which power the C-17 Globemaster III and KC-46 Pegasus, respectively. His role entails monitoring engine health, approving part repairs, analyzing the effectiveness of various sustainment-driven technical procedures, participating in safety investigations for damaged engines, and even determining the monetary effects of engine or maintenance modifications. Cooper’s work on operability, safety, suitability, and effectiveness (OSS&E) helps ensure safer, more reliable, and more effective engines, critical to supporting the warfighter and readiness of the United States Air Force.
Cooper’s path to his current role is unique. After his time as a Shaftesbury Fellow and a Wilbur Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2021, Cooper went back to school, graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in aerospace engineering in 2024. Cooper remains grateful for his time as a Shaftesbury Fellow. “CRCD helped solidify that part of me which wants to never stop learning in life,” Cooper explains. “The sort of academic program and structure the Shaftesbury Fellowship provided did not leave me; whenever talking to friends, participating in a book club, or doing a bible study, the format of CRCD provided me with great tools to interact with others’ ideas and present my own in the most charitable and strongest ways.”
Driven by a love of learning, Cooper continues to engage with the conservative intellectual tradition while working as an engineer. This spring, his first academic article, “A Founding not Liberal, but Conserving,” appeared in Pietas, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Ciceronian Society. Cooper hopes to continue contributing to discussions of intellectual conservatism in the future. When he’s not writing or working on heavy turbofan engines, Cooper enjoys Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (he’s a purple belt), playing the fiddle in a few country bands, and photography.
Cooper admits that his “is a unique story, if not downright odd.” Yet, perhaps more “odd” stories like Cooper’s are exactly what authentic civic renewal requires. This moment demands leaders in all disciplines—including business, the arts, and STEM—who both understand and pursue the good life. We’re grateful that Cooper is becoming one of those leaders.