Colorado Springs and El Paso County Relocation ... - Keep Trees

was being constructed. The dedication
of the temporary site took place July 11,
1955. At the same time, the Academy’s
fi rst class of 306 cadets was sworn in.
Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon, who had
been involved in much of the prelegislation
Academy planning,
was recalled from retirement to
become the fi rst superintendent.
It was the intent of the Air Force to
create a landmark equal to that of West
Point, Annapolis or any other highly
visible national asset. To accomplish this
goal, the best design talent was commissioned
to plan and design the campus.
This talent included the architectural
fi rm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill;
photographer Ansel Adams; industrial
designer Walter Dorwin Teague; landscape
architect Dan Kiley; and noted graphic
designer Herbert Bayer. The result is one
of the largest confi gurations of modern
architecture.
The move from the temporary site at
Lowry to the permanent site took place in
the fall of 1958, as members of the cadet
wing marched through the north gate to
the cadet area. Construction continued
around the cadets while they pursued
their academic and military studies.
The Academy’s academic program
showed evidence of high quality almost
immediately. The Commission of Colleges
and Universities of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools accredited the U.S. Air Force
Academy’s program in 1959; an uncommon
occurrence since the fi rst class had
not yet graduated.
The graduation of the fi rst 207 cadets
took place June 3, 1959 in Arnold Hall.
Five years later, President Lyndon B.
Johnson signed a bill authorizing a student
increase in the Cadet Wing from 2,529 to
4,417. The fi rst class of cadets to include
women entered in 1976 and graduated
in 1980.
The Academy received two special
honors on April 1, 2004 when the U.S.
Postal Service celebrated the Academy’s
50th Anniversary with a commemorative
37-cent stamp. Additionally, the Academy’s
cadet area was designated a National
Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department
of Interior.
46 Colorado Springs Relocation GUIDE 2007