JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • FALL 2021 39
1899 Bequest Society
Tony
Coney '73
Tony Coney ’73 has one regret
with regard to Jesuit High
School.
That he attended for just three
years instead of four.
At the time, Hillsborough County
Public Schools were designed
with junior high ending after 9th
grade. So Coney spent 9th grade
at Coleman Junior High before
transferring in to Jesuit
When he arrived as a sophomore,
however, he hit the ground
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lay of the land at Jesuit because
of his oldest brother, Tom Coney
’60, who was part of the school’s
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the Himes Ave. campus. And he
had several friends from Coleman
transfer in as sophomores too,
including David Epstein ’73 and
Phil Porter ’73.
Coney joined the football team,
playing for head coach Bill
Minahan, and the life lessons
gained from team sports have
stuck with him forever, he says.
And then there was his a secret
weapon at Jesuit – his girlfriend,
Cindy, who attended Plant.
“She helped all my friends get
dates,” Coney said.
Fifty years later, Tony and Cindy
are still together. They attended
Florida State, returned to Tampa,
got married, and built a life
together. They raised two adult
daughters, Carolyn, who lives in
Tampa, and Julianne, who lives in
London.
Cindy became Executive Director
of the Mendez Foundation,
spending 36 years, from 1980-
2006, at the renowned charity that
serves children through prevention
education programs. She has lived
a life dedicated to the betterment
of the community, especially with
regard to causes related to children.
For information about Jesuit’s 1899 Bequest
Society please contact Nick Suszynski ’98 at
(813) 877-5344, ext. 704.
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was in the packing industry.
More than 40 years later,
Coney is still in the packing
industry, the last 10 years with
Jacksonville-based Mac Papers
and Packaging.
A decade ago, Coney joined
Mac Papers as it entered the
packaging realm, and he
established a goal of $200
million in packaging sales.
They’ve reached $180 million,
and Coney intends to see it
through to $200 million.
His love and gratitude for
his Jesuit experience have
compelled Coney to join Jesuit’s
1899 Bequest Society, so he
can help others have the same
opportunity. Bequest Society
members are those who indicate
in writing that they have made
provisions for Jesuit in their will
or estate plans.
“Jesuit was such a wonderful,
life-changing experience for
me,” Coney said. “I want to make
sure it’s something that’s here
in the future for others to enjoy
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Coney is working to sponsor
an annual scholarship and
also hopes to contribute to
future campus development.
“Whatever the school needs,” he
says.
Coney visited Jesuit this
summer and enjoyed seeing the
Jesuit Summer Bridge program
for local middle school students
and the Summer Enrichment
program for incoming
freshmen.
Decades later, Coney
recognizes the Jesuit experience
profoundly impacted his life.
“Two things come to mind with
Jesuit,” Coney said. “One is the
friends you make for life. I had
92 classmates, and there are
probably 40 or 50 of us that live
in Tampa (including his nextdoor
neighbor, Jim Compton ’73)
and see each other.
“Two, it set a moral compass
for my life. I can always think
back to my Jesuit education and
re-center my life. I count my
blessings every day that I had
the opportunity to experience it.
It’s life changing.”
Jesuit was such a
wonderful, life-changing
experience for me. I
want to make sure it’s
something that’s here in
the future for others to
enjoy and benefit from.