The Permanent Professor Badge

by Mark K. Wells, Brigadier General, USAF (Ret)

The unique badge worn by Permanent Professors at the United States Air Force Academy was developed in 1966 by Brigadier General Robert F. McDermott, the Academy’s first permanent Dean of the Faculty and its first Permanent Professor. The badge, which has remained unchanged for 50 years, is shown at the right. The major design elements include an outer ring 2½ inches in diameter, consisting of indented tetrahedrals—meant to symbolize the spires of the Academy’s Cadet Chapel. There are 13 stars between. The center of the device, consisting of a gold eagle sitting on a wreath in front of a white cloud, is enameled and has a plated satin finish. It is further surrounded by a field of ultramarine blue. The divided shield underneath depicts the Earth’s atmosphere in light blue and outer space in black. Both are crossed by an ascending five-pointed star with three rays passing through an orbit, over a burning lamp. The motto, black lettering on the gold scroll, reads “Potestas Doctrinae Vitam Sustinet,” which corresponds roughly to the inscription on the Academy’s Eagle and Fledgling statue, “Man’s Flight Through Life Is Sustained by the Power of His Knowledge.”

Origin and Development

Permanent Professors have existed at the Air Force Academy since 1957, with the appointment of the first, Colonel Robert F. McDermott. McDermott was Dean of the Faculty at the time and was subsequently promoted to Brigadier General in 1959. He served as Dean until his retirement in 1968. Sometime in 1964, inspired perhaps by his memories of West Point’s senior faculty and simultaneously working issues related to the rank and status of the 20-plus USAFA Permanent Professors, General McDermott decided to create a distinctive identification badge. He believed it would recognize their special position and improve their morale. Academy legend holds that General McDermott sketched out his rough design ideas on notebook paper. That may be true, but he was also assisted by Colonel Malham M. Wakin, Permanent Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Fine Arts. In July 1965 McDermott made a formal recommendation for the badge to Lieutenant General Thomas S. Moorman, the Superintendent. Interestingly, McDermott’s original idea included three distinct variations or “degrees” of the badge, to distinguish between Permanent Professors, Tenure Associate Professors, and Instructors. The Superintendent referred the issue to the Academy Board. Not surprisingly, some of the Permanent Professors and other members of the faculty were less than universal in their support, with several of them expressing opinions quite pointed in opposition. Nevertheless, by all accounts General McDermott could be very persuasive, and he convinced the Superintendent and the Academy Board to approve the concept early in 1966.

Energized by his success, McDermott immediately began working with the US Army’s Institute of Heraldry (IOH) in Alexandria, Virginia. It was a lengthy and detailed process. McDermott’s first design (right) was completely circular in form, 2 inches in diameter, and featured three concentric rings alongside the elements of stars and tetrahedral forms. The badge’s original motto was “Homo Sapiens Astra Spectat,” taken to mean “The Wise Man Looks to The Stars.” Although the basic design was sound, for various reasons the IOH found the draft unworkable and made recommendations for modifications. These suggestions included changes in color and materials, largely designed to bring the badge into compliance with traditional heraldic principles and rules. Interestingly, General McDermott insisted that the main element of the badge be made of sterling silver, doubtless to enhance its value and prestige as an insignia. Of more significance, the IOH noted that McDermott’s initial design inadvertently divided the shield “per bend sinister,” carrying a dishonorable connotation in heraldry. If a shield is to be divided by a diagonal line into two parts, it should be “per bend dexter.” Thus—to be correct and honorable—the diagonal line was corrected to run from the upper right (the viewer’s left) to lower left (the viewer’s right).

After much correspondence and a face-to-face meeting at the IOH in mid-July 1966, General McDermott accepted a final design and gave his approval for development and manufacture. By that time he had been persuaded that offering the badge in three degrees with varying design—for potentially 400 people—was not going to win support, so he settled for a single version, designated only for the 23 Permanent Professors. The Air Force, through the Air Force Uniform Board and Aeronautical Systems Division, had earlier provided $5,000 for developmental purposes. A couple of significant further changes occurred by late summer. The outer edges of the badge, now enlarged to 2½ inches, were indented to correspond to the tetrahedrals. As before, there were 13 stars between. The badge would be constructed of two parts soldered together, the outer base and the center device. The center device, consisting of a gold eagle sitting on a wreath in front of a white cloud, was enameled and had a plated satin finish and surrounded by a field of ultramarine blue. The divided shield underneath depicted the Earth’s atmosphere in light blue and outer space in black. Both were crossed by the “astronaut device,” an ascending five-pointed star with three rays passing through an orbit, over a burning lamp. The motto, black lettering on the gold scroll, was changed to “Potestas Doctrinae Vitam Sustinet.” The literal translation of this Latin inscription is “The Power of Knowledge Sustains Life,” but corresponded nicely to the inscription on the Academy’s Eagle and Fledgling statue, “Man’s Flight Through Life Is Sustained by the Power of His Knowledge.” It’s not entirely clear when the badge’s Latin motto was changed, but it is known that Colonel Wakin and Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Berthelot from the Department of English worked together to make recommendations after examining and translating several alternatives. They and General McDermott doubtless saw the elegance of linking the badge to the Academy’s motto.

The Wilbur C. Kiff Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts, was selected in late fall 1966 to manufacture the new badge. It would take a further four to five months to produce the dies, manufacture the first metal prototypes, and ship them to General McDermott for his final approval and distribution. Apparently, he preferred not to wait because he issued special versions of the badge sometime before the process for the metal version could be completed.

Thus, the earliest known examples of the Permanent Professor badge are not official nor metal at all, but rather made of black felt and feature embroidered silver bullion thread on a circular, indented pattern. No recoverable record exists of when or where they were manufactured. There is oral evidence, however, that General McDermott arranged for their production and paid for them personally. They generally conformed to the design details settled on by McDermott and the IOH. But, interestingly enough, these embroidered badges depict shields that are divided into the “per bend sinister” position. Apparently, nobody noticed. General McDermott reputedly handed out these badges with little ceremony in his office. Images of Permanent Professors wearing this early badge can be found in photos in the faculty section of Academy yearbooks from 1966. Many wore it on Mess Dress uniforms, because it fit nicely with the embroidered insignia of the period. Very few examples of the badge still exist and are doubtless preciously guarded. General McDermott’s own—perhaps rightfully considered Permanent Professor Badge #1—currently resides in a display case in Fairchild Hall’s Faculty Heritage Room.

The Kiff Company, through the IOH, delivered the first shipment of 30 official Permanent Professor Badges to General McDermott in May 1967. Each sterling silver badge cost $29.80 at the time. There’s little record of how General McDermott distributed them to their earliest recipients, but it’s clear that they were worn with considerable pride. It wasn’t long before Permanent Professor investiture ceremonies and the awarding of the badge became significant events for the faculty and those selected for the position. They remain so today.

Sometime in the 1970s the original producer, the Kiff Company, was bought by Balfour Military Supply Service. Subsequently, the responsibility went to N.S. Meyer of New York. Eventually, production of the Permanent Professor badge fell to the Vanguard Military Insignia Company, Norfolk, Virginia. By the year 2000, given their uniqueness and metal content, the badges cost more than $200 each.

New Versions

The original badge was designated to be worn on the left pocket of the service dress, but the weight of it made it less comfortable on regular uniform shirts when the faculty moved away from teaching class in the service dress uniform. Accordingly, in the mid-1980s, the Dean, Brigadier General Ervin J. Rokke, asked the Academy’s Training Device Branch to create a lighter-weight version. Technicians there responded with a near-perfect resin copy, which was painted by a craftsman, Mr. Bob Jensen. It closely approximated the original and was very popular among the Permanent Professors. These badges saw widespread use until about the year 2000, when the skilled Mr. Jensen retired. Training Devices was subsequently unable to find someone capable of duplicating the quality of his work; the few badges that were produced in the attempt were not suitable and were not issued.

At that point, however, Colonel Thomas A. Drohan, Permanent Professor of Military and Strategic Studies, who had served in Korea, was able to find a vendor there willing to produce relatively inexpensive copies of the badge. This vendor was Song’s Coin and Plaque in Osan. In addition to producing a full-size badge, Song’s could scale the badge to any desired size. It was decided to produce a badge at approximately 60 percent of full size to match the size of the smaller Air Force insignia then in use on regular uniform shirts. Otherwise it appears exactly the same as its full-size service dress counterpart. This version also worked nicely with the newer Mess Dress uniforms, when metal insignia were required to be worn. Further, since Deans at the time found themselves unable to justify the increasing cost of purchase of the original badges, they began to use the vender in Korea to produce full-size versions that were virtually indistinguishable from the original badges, without the expense of sterling. The vendor also produced an exquisitely detailed, miniature badge, at 30 percent (just ¾-inch in diameter). Generally issued by the Dean to the Permanent Professor after appointment and to retired Permanent Professors, the miniature is designed for civilian wear. With a single-pin back, it’s typically affixed on the left lapel of a man’s jacket or a suitable location on women’s clothing.

Eventually, Vanguard Industries also agreed to produce a badge without the expensive sterling. Thus, today, Vanguard remains the principal supplier of the full-size badge, at a current cost of $29. It is interesting to note that some Permanent Professor badges—with or without sterling silver content—have found their way to online military auctions and can garner prices above $300. Given its rarity, this should come as no surprise. In its more than 50-year history, the number of full-size badges produced probably does not exceed 120. Vanguard will still produce sterling silver badges as a special order for Permanent Professors who desire to purchase one. Song’s is the only supplier of the two smaller badges.

None of the badges described above are suitable for wear on Air Force flight suits or utility uniforms. That deficiency was corrected in 2016, when Colonel John D. Cinnamon, Permanent Professor of the Department of Aeronautics, arranged for a private vendor, Aviator Gear, Inc., to produce a 4-inch cloth patch version of the badge. It attaches to the flight suit with Velcro mounting.

There are two further examples of the Permanent Professor badge. The first is a large-scale wall plaque badge, made from ceramic material mounted on blue velvet in a black frame measuring 17 x 21 inches. Produced locally by the Academy’s Training Devices team, for many years it was given to each new Permanent Professor at the investiture ceremony. Many of the Permanent Professors subsequently mounted the plaques on the wall of their department offices. Production of these plaques (left) ceased around 2012, but another version, 16 x 16 inches, has begun to be produced.

Then, there is a line-drawing replica of the badge design. Some Permanent Professors use this element as a logo on personal stationery, business cards, and the like.

Symbolism

The understanding of the symbolism associated with the Permanent Professor badge has varied and expanded over time, partly as a result of different interpretations of its original heraldic design features and partly as a result of individual explanations of those who have spoken about it. There is, however, universal consensus that the badge itself beautifully manifests the nature of the responsibilities associated with the office of the Permanent Professor. These responsibilities can be considered to reside in the following principal areas:
  1.  Responsibility to the nation
  2.  Responsibility to the mission of the Air Force to defend the nation
  3.  Responsibility to the mission of the Academy to prepare young men and women to that end
  4.  Responsibility to the role of the Permanent Professor to lead that effort
The symbolism of the badge is thus reflected in these four distinct parts.

First, on the outer edges of the badge, the 13 stars symbolize the United States and are a reminder that America’s strength and greatness rest upon the original 13 colonies that came together to form one nation, guided by a Constitution and the rule of law. According to General McDermott’s original notes, the 17 alternating chapel spires represent the beauty and inspirational physical environment of the Academy itself. Doubtless their use was also a signal of the importance of the moral, spiritual, and ethical development of all cadets. The color of the burnished and bright silver disc was deliberately selected by General McDermott to reflect a mixture of shiny and oxidized silver … the very color of contemporary US Air Force aircraft and the wings insignia of an Air Force aviator.

Next, the centerpiece shield and its colors were intentionally designed to remind the badge’s wearers of the mission of the Air Force. The shield stands on a field of ultramarine blue, the color of the Air Force and its uniforms. The gold American bald eagle atop the shield represents both the United States and its airpower. The cloud formation behind the eagle depicts the creation of a new firmament—the Department of the Air Force. It also symbolizes the vision to achieve the Air Force’s global responsibilities, while earning the nation’s trust … the public trust in the men and women who defend the country. The light blue of the divided shield below shows the aviator’s traditional domain of the sky, while the black depicts the domain of Air Force space operations. The Air Force’s fundamental mission at the time of the badge’s creation was to defend the nation with air and space power. That mission now includes cyberspace power.

Third, on the part of the shield that experts in heraldry call the “middle base” stands a lamp. It’s the lamp of knowledge, representing human wisdom, learning, and its components of education, training, and experience. These words summarize the academic mission of the Academy. It’s noteworthy that there are not three lamps, or even two, but only one. This reminds us that at the Air Force Academy the three mission elements are integrated into one. At USAFA, unlike in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta come together. In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another.” The lamp also is a reminder of the words of Plutarch, the first-century scholar, who said, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” Permanent Professors like to think they hold the match.

Finally, the polar star in the upper right cuts across the entire shield at the center of the badge, as if holding it together. The star Polaris is the traditional guide for navigation. It symbolizes the role of the Permanent Professor, to lead and guide the mission to educate and train cadets to be tomorrow’s leaders. The star is clearly ascending … climbing at a high rate of speed up to the right. The climb passes through a satellite orbit and symbolizes a constant striving for improvement ... a commitment to excellence. Once again, the high-right position on the shield as the viewer examines it is considered the place of honor … clearly linked to integrity. Thus, in just these first few parts of the badge, it’s possible to see—almost incredibly because the badge was designed in the 1960s—a very discernible and real connection to the Air Force Academy’s current core values of:
  — Integrity First
  — Service Before Self
  — Excellence in All We Do

Once again, the scroll beneath the shield is gold and carries the inscription “Potestas, Doctrinea, Vitam, Sustinet” in black letters. As indicated in the previous summary of the development of the badge, these words are Latin for “Power, Knowledge, Life, Sustain.” This phrase elegantly summarizes the entire symbolism of the badge and is a remarkable translation of the Air Force Academy’s motto: “Man’s Flight Through Life Is Sustained by the Power of His Knowledge.”

Finally, it’s worth considering the shape of the badge. Note that it is not square, triangular, or oval. It is generally round … an indented circle … comparable to the circle of life. It reminds us of time, not simply in terms of the tenure of a Permanent Professor, but more of his or her long-standing impact on the institution and its cadets over their professional career and lifetime. In a word, “timeless.”

Sources

Correspondence, documents, and notes from the Institute of Heraldry, Brigadier General Robert F. McDermott, and various officers assigned to the Dean of the Faculty (1965–1985).

Interviews with retired Brigadier General Malham M. Wakin, US Air Force (various dates 2000–2017).

Ringenbach, Paul T. Battling Tradition: Robert F. McDermott and Shaping the U.S. Air Force Academy. Chicago: Imprint Publications, 2006.

“Symbology of the Permanent Professor Badge,” oral and written presentations at Permanent Professor investiture ceremonies by Colonels Douglas J. Murray and Cary A. Fisher (various dates 2000–2005).