Today in USAFA history: - 1955: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Academy architects, hold a design presentation meeting with members of the Air Force, the Academy staff, and Academy consultants. At the wide-ranging meeting, SOM received approval to proceed on the cadet quarters, the dining hall, and the academic building. - 1962: The Colorado Astronautical Laboratory (renamed the Frank J. Seiler Laboratory in 1963) opens at the Academy. The laboratory was established to conduct research in chemistry, applied mathematics, and aerospace mechanics and to provide a means for supporting faculty and cadet research. The lab closed in 1995. - 1966: The Academy football team earns its first victory over Navy, a 15-7 win at Falcon Stadium. It was the Midshipmen’s first football game in Colorado. - 1971: Captain James Newendorp, Class of ’65, is killed when his RF-4C is shot down northeast of An Loc, South Vietnam, during a photographic reconnaissance mission. His name appears on the War Memorial on the Academy Terrazzo. - 1982: The 557th Flying Training Squadron becomes part of the Academy, as it is released from Air Training Command. It was organizationally placed under the Deputy Commandant for Operations. - 1985: The Cadet Examinations and Records office is transferred from the Director of Admissions and Registrar to the Dean of the Faculty. This function was combined with the Directorate of Curriculum and Scheduling Services to form the new Office of the Registrar. - 1989: General Hansford “HT” Johnson, Class of ’59, becomes the first Air Force Academy graduate to achieve four-star rank. He had assumed command of the Military Airlift Command on 20 September 1989. - 1991: Brigadier General Paul K. Carlton Jr., Class of ’69, becomes the first Academy graduate promoted to flag rank in the Air Force’s Medical Corps. In 1999, he would become the first Academy graduate to serve as Surgeon General of the United States Air Force. - 1998: The Human Environmental Research Center, later known as the Life Sciences Research Center, opens under the authority of Brigadier General David Wagie, Class of ’72, Dean of the Faculty. - 2002: The U.S. Northern Command stands up at Peterson Air Force Base, with General Ralph Eberhart, Class of ’68, as its first commander. The unified command was established to provide command and control of Department of Defense homeland defense efforts and to coordinate defense support of civil authorities. Its area of responsibility includes all air, land and sea approaches to North America, encompassing the continental U.S., Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water areas out to approximately 500 nautical miles. - 2003: The Band of the Rockies, assigned to Air Force Space Command since 1993, is administratively moved back to the Academy, again becoming the Air Force Academy Band. The Band physically remains at its Peterson Air Force Base facility. - 2004: Brigadier General Dana Born, Class of ’83, becomes the first female officer to serve as Dean of the Faculty. - 2010: The Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion, a gift of the Class of ‘70, is dedicated near Doolittle Hall during ‘70’s forty-year reunion. Also, The groundbreaking ceremony for the Holaday Athletic Center (named in honor of Bart, Class of ’65, and Lynn Holaday) is held. The ceremony was somber, as Lynn Holaday had passed away earlier that morning after a long struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Holaday Athletic Center was the first major project for the USAFA Endowment, a fund-raising foundation established in 2007. - 2013: The San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association begin a four-day pre-season training visit to the Academy. The team is coached by Gregg Popovich, Class of ’70.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 20:00:00 +0000
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