Abandoned, alone and forgotten. Such was the story for one weary traveler until a good-hearted United Airlines pilot rescued him from a lost luggage claim in Newark, N.J.
GeoBear No. 44, a traveling stuffed animal from a class of McKnight Elementary fifth-graders in 2014, was off to see the world that year as part of a social studies project. The GeoBear would be passed along to family members or friends set to travel. The goal was to have the bear return in a timely fashion, with photos and postcards of where it had been, said McKnight Principal Dr. Christopher Shute.
But GeoBear never came back that school year, and it was more or less forgotten. Until … .
Shute received a package at McKnight recently containing the bear, photos of his travels and a letter from United Airlines pilot Paul Sanker, who found him at a New Jersey airport last November and took him “under his wing.”
“November last year, GeoBear was ready for one final trip and found me. I think GeoBear knew what it was doing, because we took an adventure,” Sanger said in a Jan. 31 letter he sent back with the bear to the school.
The pilot took GeoBear on an extended national trip, documenting the fun with photos, including ones of the bear in the cockpit, the flight attendant’s jumpseat, by the jet engines and more.
Sanker said they traveled to New Jersey; Puerto Rico; Punta Cana; Chicago; Sioux Falls — where they stayed because of a major blizzard; Mexico City; Florida; Pittsburgh, and “even Cleveland, Ohio.”
He said GeoBear saw “neater parts of the 737,” including a tail up close, the outsides of the plane, engines and more.
“GeoBear learned about how a plane flys, and then he watched the first officer and I at work. There were some great views along the way. It’s been fun having GeoBear with me, but it sounds like the time has come to finally return home,” said the pilot.
The fifth-graders would likely be sophomores in college now, Shute said. But the current McKnight staff, including those who were around in 2014, is enjoying the bear’s return. And this year’s students can learn from this nearly decade-old social studies project. It’s also fun showing them real photographs printed on paper, Shute said.
“It was a really kind gesture,” said Shute of the pilot. “It brought back a lot of nice memories.”
The school still has a similar project but more of a digital version, using emails and cell phone photos, instead of a real stuffed bear, Shute said. The pandemic shifted how the school did the project, he said.
But if it wasn’t for Sanker’s kindness, the stuffed bear may never have found his way home.
“Maybe GeoBear has some stories to tell about the other travels it’s taken. I tried to find out a few myself,” Sanker wrote.
Attempts to reach Sanker for comment were not successful.
