Founder's Day Parade and Cadet Sponsor Appreciation Social
According to a USAFA news release, Founder's Day is held to honor the Air Force Academy's founding, which began April 1, 1954, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Public Law 325, 83rd Congress, Second Session, formally authorizing the establishment of an Air Force Academy and appropriating $126 million for its construction. Secretary of the Air Force Harold Talbott announced in June 1954 that the Academy would be built in Colorado Springs.
According to Steve Simon '77, the objective was to have the Academy usable by the summer of 1958, so the first senior class could move in for its final year. Lowry Air Force Base in Denver served as the temporary home of the Academy from July 1955 until August 1958.
Appropriately for a school that trains Air Force and Space Force officers, it sits comfortably at a place where the earth meets the sky, perfectly at home in the natural environment that surrounds but does not envelop it.
After the parade, the Cadet Sponsor Appreciation Social took place in Arnold Hall. The event was held to give thanks to the sponsor families who host cadets while they attend the Academy.
The sponsor program has been in place for decades, allowing families of the local community to provide a “home away from home” for cadets, who must reside in their constant training environment.
These generous volunteers undergo triannual training and background checks to take part in one of the cadets’ top morale programs and the social was held to celebrate them and convey sincerest gratitude in-person.
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