Sean Bentley:
CLASS OF 1985
Gulf Breeze High SchoolClass of 1985
Gulf breeze, FL
Sean's Story
Life
After high school, I went to PJC for 2 years and got an AA Degree in Business (exciting!!). I then went to FSU and killed myself double majoring in Marketing and Multinational Business. I now have 2 B.S. Degrees that I have not used to date. No matter. All I ever wanted to do was fly anyway (Dad used to take me to all the Blue Angel Homecoming shows). After FSU, I moved back in with mom and dad (loser!!) to work on my Flight Instructor and Commercial Licenses. After flight instructing and flying charters for 4 years, I got my first "professional" job (i.e. First Officer with a commuter airline making $17000/yr). I was lucky enough to upgrade to Captain within 9 months of being there and my pay doubled (Thank God!! I was beginning to think it was College Part II). I did that for 3 years and then moved to Hong Kong to work for an airline called Cathay Pacific Airways. I felt like I had made it. I made some great friends and met some cool people. The highlight was getting to meet Cyndi Crawford and have her hang out with us on the flight deck for about an hour without her body guards. The novelty wore off after about 6 months, but we stayed there for 2 years. We were homesick, so I accepted a job with TWA and moved back to the states. I worked for TWA for 2 years, until we were bought by American Airlines. After September 11 happened, the airline industry took a nosedive and I was promptly furloughed December 1, 2001. I wasn't too bummed, though. My son (Joshua...Expand for more
) was born September 21, 2001 and I took a crash course in being a full-time dad. My wife went back to work to support us and I stayed at home for a year and a half and played mommy. I have SOOOOOOO much respect for single mothers. That was the hardest job I have ever had. I finally got a job with a company called Polar Air Cargo. I have been flying international freight for the past two years. It is an O.K. job, but it is not a career. I will go back to American Airlines when they recall pilots. I think that will be another 3-4 years for me. In the meantime, I enjoy raising my son in our little house on the prairie (more like the burbs) just west of St. Louis in a town called O'Fallon. I go bike riding on the Katy Trail and golf sometimes (you wouldn't have heard me say that 2 years ago). I will most likely be moving back to Gulf Breeze/Pensacola in a few years. I really miss that area and still think of it as home. My parents and most of my relatives still live there. And, my wife's dad, sister and brother still live there. The only hesitation is a 2 leg (2 flight) commute to go to work. And, if anything should happen to this job (Polar is in bankruptcy proceedings right now) my wife couldn't make nearly the money that she is making in St. Louis. So, we are thinking 3-4 years to move back to Gulf Breeze. That's about it for anyone who's interested. I hope our 20th reunion kicks ass. In reality, I hope these last 20 years haven't kicked our asses too much.
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Reunions
