Anthony Gagliani, is an aviation and U.S. Virgin Island historian, and has been a regular contributor to the AAB website. Recently, as he was researching his family ancestry, he came across a number of documents that related to his father's air travel in various aircraft to various locations. I also found them interesting and wanted to show how one document can not only tell a story, but connecting the dots keeps the story going to places you didn't know when you started.
Connecting the dots...
Jim Cothron flew seaplanes and more specifically the Grumman Goose for many years. From those early days of Cat Cay Airlines, Southeast Airlines, Chalk's Airlines, Antilles Air Boats to flying N401SJ. in Florida. Seward Johnson (Johnson & Johnson) operated the aircraft for 35 years with Jim in the cockpit.
photo credit Martin Pole
N401SJ c/n 1168
Barlow, Florida
photo credit Geof Goodall
Ft. Pierce, Florida
Benjamin A. Gagliani
Frenchtown, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
Benjamin Gagliani was a veteran of WWII who lived in Frenchtown, St. Thomas until he relocated to Florida. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service for many years.
Dept. of Treasury / General Declaration Form
Customs / Immigration / Public Health
June 11, 1961
Cat Cay Airlines - Aircraft N703A - Charter
Cat Cay, Bahamas to Miami, Florida
1959-1963
Airlines
Cat Cay
& N703A... plus a little more
James Cothron
Cat Cay today
Jim Cothron was married to Francis and before they met, she worked for Antilles Air Boats in San Juan as the station manager in the late sixties. A few years later she relocated to Miami where both Jim and Francis worked at Chalk's.
Fran Cothron enjoyed dancing and as a retirement activity joined a tap dancing group called "The Fabulous Footnotes"
My father, John Anusewicz also enjoyed dancing and joined the same group. He became good friends with Fran as well as with Jim. Jim and John would get together and talk for hours about days gone by.
John S. Anusewicz
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