Class of 1976

Class of 1976


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Class of 1976 - Key Data

  • Appointed:1507 on Monday, July 3, 1972
  • Graduated:928 on Wednesday, June 2, 1976
  • Commissions:
  • USAF-908
  • US Army-2
  • US Navy-8
  • US Marine Corps-3
  • Foreign-5
  • Posthumous-1
  • Not commissioned-1
  • Graduation Speaker:
  • Nelson A. Rockefeller, Vice-President of the United States
  • Presented Commissions:
  • Nelson A. Rockefeller, Vice-President of the United States
  • Presented Diplomas:
  • Nelson A. Rockefeller, Vice-President of the United States
  • Cadet Wing Commanders:
  • John J. Catton, Jr. (Fall and Spring)
  • Scholarships:
  • Rhodes: Ausink, John A., Brundage, William H.; Churchill: Chavez, Mark C.; Fulbright: Hepburn, Byron, Musick, William C. II; Guggenheim: Chilton, Kevin P., Crocco, James R., Crombie, Robert B., Inglis, John C., Keane, Michael J., Luhrs, Richard A., Pinney, Charles W., Zimmerman, Ronald W.; Wolfe: Mazurowski, David M.; Hertz: James, Douglas; Olmsted: Anderson, David N., Engleson, Lawrence E.; NSF: Britten, Scott M., Mintz, Richard B.; Douglas: Hebb, Alan D.
  • All-Americans (sports):
  • Dave Lawson (Football); Ahart Powers (Outdoor Track); Jeff Ford (Outdoor Track); Robert Kleinhans (Pistol)
  • Class Officers:
  • President: Enrique A. Saa; Scribe: Dan Beatty
Heraldry:

Class Motto: Spirit of 76

THE AMERICAN FLAG (Orignial)The original American Flag to remind us ofthe Bicentennial.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR FIGURES: The three Revolutionary War figures to remind us of the Bicentennial.

THE AIRCRAFT: In contrast to the Bicentennial history, the Thunderbirds appear in a starburst justbelow the Polaris and the lightning bolts in the Falcon's talons to symbolize the powerof today's civilization.

AOG NOTE: This is the first class since the Class of 1959 not to have a Latin (or Greek '64) motto. Latin mottos were reintroduced with the Class of 1983.

Contributions of Graduates:

Kevin Chilton, Astronaut (1988).  Only Astronaut to reach four star rank.

Ronald Summers receives the Cheney Award for heroism, after rescuing a downed glider pilot in his HH-1 helicopter (1981).

Mark Felman receives Jabara Award for Airmanship (1988).

Randall Spetman named Athletic Director USAFA (1996), Utah State University (2004), and Florida State University (2008).

Craig Manson named California State Superior Court Judge (1998).  Named Professor of Law, University of the Pacific (2006).

Michael Gould named Superintendent of USAFA (2009).

Mark Welsh becomes Chief of Staff USAF (2012).

Kevin Chilton named USAFA Distinguished Graduate (2014).

Mark Welsh receives Great American Patriot Award (2015).

Denny Schupe receives Veterans of Influence Award in Philadelphia (2015).

Bob Gardner elected to the Colorado State Senate (2016).

Steve Heinz named one of top 100 people in business and economic development by Pennsylvania Business Central (2019).

Mike Worden named Director of Citywide Mobility Operations Coordination for Seattle, Washington (2019).

John Inglis named USAFA Distinguished Graduate (2018).

Mark Welsh named USAFA Distinguished graduate (2018).



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