The Academy Liaison Officer
Program
by Ruth Whitaker
The temporary Air Force Academy at Lowry AFB opened in July 1955 when
the first class of 306 cadets was admitted.
There was enough national publicity to encourage outstanding young men
to apply for this first class. But the
candidate interest after that year dwindled for lack of continuous information.
The Academy was not receiving sufficient applicants with a desire to fly who
could meet the exacting admissions standards.
The older service academies, with their long lines of graduates, could
meet their standards. To contend with
the major problem that was developing, a small group of Air Force Reserve
officers proposed that reservists be assigned and trained as spokesmen and
counselors for the new Academy in their local areas.
Photo of Capt. Art Ragen and Ruth Whitaker from the early years of the ALO
program at Lowry AFB.
Lt. Col. Jim Hunter, the Academy Director of Admissions, enthusiastically
supported the idea and received the support of other Academy officials. He then convinced personnel at the Air Force
Reserve headquarters that his idea would be beneficial. The Liaison Office Program was officially
launched in 197 with some 300 volunteers screened and assigned. These reservists were eager to perform the LO
duty for the Academy, even though they gained no extra compensation and assumed
the job voluntarily in addition to their regular reserve duty.
Photo of Lt. Col. Jim Hunter, director of Admissions,
holding the “Hunter” sign at the new
The
individual approach of LOs began to show results as
students they had counseled entered the Academy in 1958 and 1959. Encouraged by their success, LOs were permitted to expand into a national network of LO
admissions counselors. They have
provided a continuous flow of Academy information year after year to young
people nearing college age. They taught
them how to prepare for the Academy and how to apply for nominations through
congressional and other sources.
The
Silver Falcons
Most of the reserve officers who originated the LO Program were World War II
veterans. In their mid-seventies they
began to receive notices of their retirement from the Air Force Reserve. This was a disappointment especially to the
officers who had become leaders in the program, known as liaison officer
coordinators and deputies (LOCs and DLOCs). Their
diligent efforts to qualify young people in their home area, including
assistance from parents and educators, had been important to these officers and
many could not imagine giving up this part of their careers. Also, through the nation-wide program, they
had broadened their associations and thoroughly enjoyed their visits to the
Academy.
The
departing reserve officers began to communicate with each other to discuss the
possibility of forming an alumni association.
At the 1976 LOC-DLOC conference, they were invited to attend a meeting
about this suggestion. It resulted in 14
of the officers who attended becoming the nucleus of the proposed Silver Falcon
Association. They began to contact
others who had recently retired and expanded their group to 85 charter
members. They met annually either during
the LOC/DLOC conference or at a hotel in
The
Silver Falcons elected a president each year, usually from the vice president
of the preceding year. Three Silver Falcons
were renewed in their positions annually buy the president. They were: Hollis Hatfield, executive
director; Bob Peary, treasurer; and Ruth Whitaker, secretary and newsletter
editor. After several years of steady
membership, the numbers began to decline.
Bob Peary
took the initiative of searching for a way to preserve the Silver Falcons, even
if on a limited basis. Bob talked with
Jim Shaw, the President and CEO of AOG, about the possibility of the Silver
Falcon Association merging in some capacity with the Association of
Graduates. The Board of Directors of AOG
approved the idea of SFA becoming an affinity group with their treasury to be
turned over to the AOG. The process has
been completed and the merger seems to be progressing successfully.
*******
Ruth
Whitaker served as a civilian employee in the admission office at the Air Force
Academy beginning in 1956. She was the
publications editor responsible for preparing the Academy catalogs, brochures
and other promotional materials. In 1982
she joined the newly-organized Silver Falcon Association and became the
secretary and newsletter editor. In 2004
she retired from SFA but continues with the group as an SFA affinity member.