Two photographs taken in September 1973 mark a time when North Texas looked to the future of aviation.
The pictures show a young child, maybe 10- or 12-years-old, riding a pony on the grounds of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, with an Air France Concorde jet on the runway in the background.
It was the first time the Concorde landed in the United States. The identity of the boy in the photo is a mystery.
"That's an iconic photo that we continue to use to this day," said Casey Norton, DFW International Airport vice president of communication and marketing. "It's the epitome of before and after. The past and the present."
Over the weekend, DFW airport reached out on social media asking followers to help identify the child in the iconic photo. It was taken during a 4-day gala grand opening in September 1973.
"I would love to know who he is! I think that would be fantastic," said aviation historian and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Bruce Bleakley.
Bleakley said the pictures of the child represent a turning point in DFW history.
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"You know, we're out here in the big Texas prairie y'all, but there's a modern airport, the biggest at that time in the world, and that's gonna change the whole scheme of things."
Today DFW gets 69 million customers a year. Its nearly 18,000-acres make it larger than the island of Manhattan. The photo shows its history of farm fields. The plains, before the 'i' in the middle of the word was replaced by an 'e' at the end.
"I think you just really have to have an eye on the future," said Norton. "But if you have to have a tip of the cap to the past, then it makes sense for it to be a cowboy hat."
If you think you know who the boy, now likely a man in his late 50s or 60s is, you can email socialmedia@dfwairport.com.
