From
the Moultrie Observer, March 12, 2010
Dwain
Walden
MOULTRIE - It’s not exactly the search
for the lost Dutchman’s mine or the Ark
of the Covenant but to those involved, it does have special meaning.
Some of the guys who graduated from
flight school at Spence Field back in 1958 would like to find their
mascot.
They are about to celebrate their 50th anniversary, and it would be
nice if
“Tony the Tiger” could be there. At the
moment, they have no clue as to where their mascot
ended up, says
Neil Cosentino of Tampa, Fla.
“He looked like Tony from the
Kellog’s box. And that’s were he got his name,” said Consentino.
Consentino spent six months at
Spence Field here in Moultrie in primary flight training, later to
complete his
training in Greenfield, Miss.
“We used to strap Tony in the back
seat of those T-34s and T-28s and fly him around. Some of the guys
would take
him on dates with them. He saw a
lot of action,” said Consentino.
Consentino said Tony even had his
own logbook and it would be nice to have the logbook and Tony reunited
with the
Spence graduates.
“Perhaps someone in the Moultrie
area knows something of Tony and where he and the logbook may have
ended up,”
said Consentino.
Consentino said his Spence training
was his first journey to the South from his hometown of New York City.
“And I loved it,” he said. “I
enjoyed a lot of Southern fried chicken, and I was introduced for the
first
time to okra.”
Consentino served 21 years in the
U.S. Air Force and later was a consultant to the Iranian Air Force when
the
shah was in power. He then flew
for an airline in the Bahamas and later retired to Tampa.
The 60 Foxtrot Class will hold its
reunion in Dayton, Ohio, from April 30 to May 2.
Anyone having information about Tony
and the logbook may contact Consentino at 813-251-4669.
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