Week of 16-22 August

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of Aug 16th through the 22nd --  This week, back in 1948 -- General Muir Fairchild, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force and later the namesake of the Academy’s academic building, officially designates Air University as responsible for planning for an Air Force Academy.  …Also this week, back in 1959 -- Major General William Stone becomes the Academy’s third Superintendent, taking the reins from Major General James Briggs, who was promoted to Lieutenant General and assumed command of the Air Training Command at Randolph Air Force...

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Week of 9-15 August

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of Aug 9th through the 15th --  This week, back in 1965 -- Flying North American F-100D Super Sabres, the Thunderbirds fly their 1,000th show at Waukegan, Illinois.  Captain Henry Canterbury, Class of ’59, had joined the team earlier in the year.  He was the first of many Academy graduates to be members of the exclusive squadron.  …Also this week, back in 1986 -- A groundbreaking ceremony is held for the 40,000 square foot addition to Mitchell Hall.  The addition, located under the Terrazzo between Mitchell and Sijan Halls, would house formal and informal dining rooms and a 32,000 square-foot consolidated cadet issue facility.  The $7.5 million project was completed in July 1988.  …And, this week back...

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Week of 2-8 August

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of Aug 2nd through the 8th --  This week, back in 1969 -- Major James Morton Jr., Class of ’60, is killed when his F-4E ‘Phantom II’ aircraft is struck by hostile fire and crashes in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam.  His name appears on the Graduate War Memorial on the Academy Terrazzo.  …Also this week, back in 1986 -- The Academy hosts the first Air Force Teen Leadership Forum.  The five-day event was “designed to develop and recognize leadership and volunteer service among the youth of Air Force families.”  …And, this week back in 2001 -- For the first time, notebook computers are issued at the Academy, to members of the Class of ‘05.   …Finally, this week back in 2021 – The groundbreaking ceremony...

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Week of 26 Jul – 1 Aug

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of Jul 26th through the Aug 1st --  This week, back in 1962 -- Six Academy cadets begin a 15-day stay in the crew compartment of a simulated space vehicle.  While performing tasks similar to those in actual space travel, they proved that astronauts could perform well as a team.  …Also this week, back in 1994 -- The two-day 1994 Communications, Command, Control, Computer Sciences and Intelligence Space Symposium in Arnold Hall begins.  It was jointly hosted by the Academy, U.S. Space Command, and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.  …And, this week back in 2004 -- The Academy and the Association of Graduates begin co-hosting a three-day Graduate Leadership Conference.  Nearly 200 graduates, military and civilian, returned to...

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Week of 19-25 July

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of Jul 19th through the 25th --  This week, back in 1939 -- Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Eisenhower, while serving as a military aide to the Philippine Commonwealth Government, writes in his diary “So now I’m a licensed pilot.  While I’ll never be good and after going to the States perhaps I’ll never get a chance to handle a stick -- still I’ve realized one ambition.”  Later, as President, he would sign the legislation that established the Air Force Academy, of which he was a strong supporter.     …Also this week, back in 1971 -- Chemistry Professors Lieutenant Colonel Lowell King and Major David Seegmiller are awarded a 1970 Air Force Research...

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Week of 12-18 July

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of Jul 12th through the 18th --  This week, back in 1960 -- Colonel George Simler concludes his three-year term as the Academy’s second Director of Athletics.  Colonel Simler later conceived the idea of an annual competition between the Air Force, Army and Navy football teams, with the winner earning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.  …Also this week, back in 1990 -- The Academy, in cooperation with the National Science Foundation, begins hosting an event focused on improving undergraduate physics instruction.  It was titled “Transforming Physics Content Using New Technologies: A Leadership Workshop.”  …And, this week back in 2001 -- Beginning the third of his five space missions, Steven Lindsey, Class of ’82, serves as commander of mission...

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Week of 5-11 July

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of Jul 5th through the 11th --  This week, back in 1961 -- Lieutenant General Mike Lee, Commander, Air Defense Command, presents the Academy with a Bomarc missile during a ceremony at the Visitor Center near the South Gate where it was put on display.  …Also this week, back in 1989 -- President George H. W. Bush presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, to Retired Air Force General James Doolittle during a White House ceremony. General Doolittle, the namesake of the Academy Association of Graduates’ headquarters building and exemplar for the Class of ’00, was the only person to have received both the military Medal...

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Week of June 28 – July 4

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of June 28th through July 4th --  This week, back in 1965 -- For the first time, three members of the same family are enrolled at the Academy during the same time: Cadet Don Hallenbeck, Class of ’66, and his brothers Ted, Class of ’68, and Ralph, Class of ’69. Their father, Colonel Ralph Hallenbeck, was the Academy’s Chief of Staff and Deputy Base Commander.  …Also this week, back in 1987 -- The Class of ’91, consisting of 1,362 appointees, reports to the Academy for in-processing.  …And, this week back in 1996 -- After receiving waivers for several years that allowed Academy women’s teams to compete at the NCAA Division II level, the programs are...

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Wednesday, June 24 – I-Day for the Class of 2030

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for Wednesday June 24th – In-processing Day for the Class of 2030  This day, back in 1963 -- The Class of ’67, with 866 appointees, reports to the Academy for in-processing.  …Also this day, back in 1968 -- The Class of ’72, consisting of 1,252 members, reports to the Academy for in-processing.  …And, this day back in 2010 -- The Class of ’14, with 1,294 members, reports to the Academy for in-processing.  …Finally, on this day back in 2021 -- The Class of ’25 reports to the Academy for in-processing.  The class consisted of 1,113 members, to include 55 sons and 34 daughters of service academy graduates.   …for our...

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Week of June 21-27

This is your official Air Force Academy History Update for the Week of June 21st through the 27th --  This week, back in 1960 -- The Academy’s first Postmaster, Joe Snepenger, is confirmed by the Senate.  He had been the acting Postmaster since the office opened in June 1958.  …Also this week, back in 1973 – Retired General Jimmy Doolittle, leader of the April 18, 1942 Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, visits the Academy.  The Association of Graduates’ headquarters building is named in his honor, and he is the Class of 2000’s exemplar.  …And, this week back in 1997 -- Cadet Sean Gibson, Class of ’98, receives the Congressional Award during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.  The award recognized youths for achievements in voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition and exploration.  …Finally, this week...

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