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Tony DiPiazza
A short narrative of life after ELHS:843 Grey Fox Run Seine Bight Village Stann Creek District Belize, Central America 011-501-636-0839 tdipiazza@gmail.com I call myself Tony. Others have called me worse. I live mostly in Belize with my wife, two dogs and a new cat. I like to come back to Okemos during the summer months to get my taxes done and play volleyball in the sand at Lake Lansing. The young kids I helped teach the game now occasionally take pity on me and let the old, slow guy play too. This is two man beach not granny's backyard BarBQ ball. So far only one ex classmate has ventured down to see me. John Potter came to Belize with his poker buddies. He was singularly nonplussed with only one rocky, sandy golf course with crocks and fer-de-lances for hazards. He won't be back since a warrant is still out for him and his buds for crashing their catamaran on the world's second longest living coral reef on the planet. After using up my 4 year deferment and having twice as many Coral Gables credits as MSU credits. I decided to take a vacation tour of Southeast Asia with the US Army. 2 years,9months,17days,and11hours later we parted ways. I never really liked the military. They have way too many rules and regulations. Lacking funds to go back to school and having such a fondness of the military I joined the National Guard and spent 24 years as a helicopter instructor pilot. During my second attempt at a legitimate education I met (perhaps stalked may be a more appropriate term) an eighteen year old coed in CPS101. Long blond hair, Go-Go boots, mini skirts, I was doomed. The only course I ever took at MooU and never missed a class. 1973 Ms. Lynn Ann Snellman and Tony D move into Cedar Village for the summer of love..hey so we were 5 years late. Skip ahead 40 years. Ms Lynn Ann is moving into her beach house. Sans boots, sans mini skirts, sans my hair. Over the years I've had many different flying jobs. Some good. Some not. I owe Doug Lindell for giving me an opportunity for OJT in airplanes. Rich Maury and I had some ill fated airplane ventures. The last 16 years of work I flew executives from CMS Energy when they decided to become a world wide energy conglomerate. We travelled to some very nice places ( Paris...too bad there are so many French people there) and some places I never heard of before (Equatorial Guinea). Then in 2002 we got involved in some Enronesq trading practices, exit CEO. New CEO hated "Billy's Little Air force." Given the choice of retiring with a years pay and a lump sum pension OR getting fired and getting nothing. Another one of life's tough decisions. "I'll take door number one, Monty!" Now after building two houses in Belize I occupy my time either building something, fixing something, growing something or doing nothing, but watch the waves roll in. I specialize in Ceiba trees and Hibiscus. So, if you're ever in Belize and didn't come on a cruise ship (We hate cruise ships). Look Us UP...and so it goes. Update: Tony moved to Punta Gorda, Florida, in October 2022. See: Facebook post on Tony's passing |
