We ourselves come from the middle of this group of 100, numbers 44 and 52 in the chronological sequence. We are old enough to have known personally most of those who came before us. We admire those early leaders, both for who they were and what they did. In researching this book, our respect for them continued to grow, and we are delighted to offer some commemoration of their service. We also know most of the Permanent Professors who came after us. We are proud of them for what they have already accomplished, and we are honored to add them to the list in expectation of much to come.
As we got further into the project we decided that the history of Permanent Professor leadership in developing innovative academic programs and enhancing cadet opportunities deserved considerable attention. It seemed to us that many of these topics are actually persistent challenges that will continue to regularly demand the attention of the Permanent Professors. We hope the background provided here will be of use as these issues continue to be addressed. We wish we had better understood them in our day.
We have chosen to focus on the achievements of these individuals rather than on their personalities and private lives. Most of our subjects were (are) married with families, and like other military officers, they drew (draw) strength and purpose from the support of spouses and children. The Academy is a place where an officer’s family can contribute positively to cadets’ lives and truly make a difference, and Permanent Professor spouses have definitely left their imprint. Nevertheless, we set those stories aside, but with a heartfelt acknowledgment for all that spouses provide. We especially wish to thank our wives, Lynda and Jan, for their tremendous support during the research and writing of this book. During the past two years, they have sacrificed a lot of time with us—time that could have been given to more enjoyable activities.
The book would not have been published without the encouragement and support of The Friends of the Air Force Academy Library, and especially the President, Brigadier General Phil Caine. The Friends is a non-profit group that works to enhance the quality of the McDermott Library and to acquire, preserve, and publish materials that capture the heritage and tradition of our Air Force and Air Force Academy. We are grateful for their sponsorship.
We owe a special debt of gratitude to Brigadier General Paul Pirog, who graciously agreed to proofread our drafts. Paul did much more than find our errors, he gave us so many insightful suggestions that he almost became a third co-author. The reader cannot know how much he improved our work, but we do. We also wish to thank Lieutenant General Mike Gould for his kindness in writing the Foreword, to Brigadier General Mark Wells for lending us his article on the history of the Permanent Professor badge, and to Brigadier General O Sampson for letting us reproduce his essay on the Military Oath of Office.
We also gratefully acknowledge the assistance of many others who helped in important ways. Dr. Mary Elizabeth Ruwell, Director of the Air Force Academy’s McDermott Library Special Collections Branch, used her authoritative knowledge of the archives to help us find important material. Ms. Peggy Litwhiler and Ms. Melissa Robohn helped with photographs, and Ms. Jessica Maiberger-Horner with oral histories. Ms. Jody Owen, Secretary to the Dean, provided photos and documents and connected us with the right office when we had specific questions. Brigadier General Andy Armacost, Dean of the Faculty; Colonel Gary Packard, Vice Dean; and Dr. Steve Jones, Senior Associate Dean, gave us their time for many useful conversations. Dr. Tom Mabry, Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs and Academy Registrar, used his profound knowledge of t
he curriculum to answer many questions. Dr. John Sherfesee, Director of Studies and Analysis and Civilian Faculty Programs, provided insight on faculty issues. Colonel Rolf Enger, Lieutenant Colonel Don Rhymer, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Simon, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Garney, Colonel Jeff Butler, Professor Barry Fagan, and Colonel Rex Kiziah participated in helpful discussions on many topics. And lastly our sincere thanks to Mr. Bob Baron, Ms. Patty Maher, and Ms. Alison Auch at the Fulcrum Group, who turned our concept into a beautiful book.
James H. Head Erlind G. Royer