Air Force Academy

While on a flying assignment at McGuire Air Force Base (New Jersey) in 1959, I received a surprise reassignment to the Air Force Academy. The Academy had just moved into their permanent home outside of Colorado Springs, from their temporary location near Denver. My assignment was to the Department of Chemistry to teach Human Physiology. This was a new, last minute addition to the curriculum and I only had two weeks to pack up my family, including 4 small children, and drive across country on two lane roads to Colorado. By the time we arrived and found a place to stay, there was only two or three days before classes started. Four other officers were in the same position. All we had was a text book, so there was a mad rush to develop lesson plans for the first few days.








On the first day of classes, I was very apprehensive. I knew that the IQ of each of the cadets was probably the square of mine, but they were also under pressure and had to prepare for a number of courses. I only had to prepare for one. I survived that first day, but was always impressed by the cadets and honored to work with them. As time went by I became more comfortable, perhaps too comfortable.

A few years later, I had a number of cadets that kept asking what they could do to receive extra credit. I always explained that we couldn't give extra credit, because it would not be fair to all the other cadets. They were always in competition for standing in their class. Nevertheless, they continued to ask for the extra credit. One day I thought of a way to silence them.

At the beginning of each classroom period, we always gave a short written quiz of ten questions worth 10 points each. One day I inserted an 11th question for one “extra credit” point. It was in two parts worth ½ point each.

Question 11a. - Describe the Universe,
Question 11b. - Give two examples.

While they were taking the quiz, I could tell when they came to question 11, by the grins and groans. I was very satisfied with myself, until I graded the papers and saw that one cadet had correctly answered the questions.

11a – everything
11b – ours and the other one.

I gave him the one point extra credit and never tried to outsmart the cadets again.



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