AFIT Heritage Symposium to include Distinguished Alumni Award Banquet

  • Published
  • By Bill Hancock
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  In conjunction with the Air Force Institute of Technology Heritage Symposium, to be held on Sept. 21 and 22, the AFIT Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet will recognize two distinguished AFIT alumni: Gen Robert T. Herres and Dr. Ray O. Johnson.

AFIT's first Distinguished Alumni award was issued in 1979, and to date, more than 30 alumni have been honored. The Distinguished Alumni award recognizes and honors those AFIT graduates who have distinguished themselves through high levels of career achievement.

General Robert T. Herres (retired) earned dual master's degrees in electrical engineering and public administration from AFIT and The George Washington University, respectively, in 1960. He completed Air Command and Staff College in 1965 and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1971.

General Herres was assigned to various duties throughout his career in the Air Force including technical intelligence analyst, weapons employment planning instructor, crewmember and chief of the Flight Crew Division for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, deputy chief of staff for plans and requirements at Edwards AFB, Calif., vice commander of the 449th Bombardment Wing at Kincheloe AFB, Mich., and many other positions within Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Electronic Systems Division of Air Force Systems Command and Headquarters, U.S. Air Force.

General Herres became commander of Air Force Communications Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., in June 1979; assumed command of SAC's 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in July 1981; and became the director for command, control and communications systems, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C., in October 1982. He was assigned to Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., as commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and Aerospace Defense Command, and commander of U.S. Air Force Space Command in July 1984. He became the first commander in chief of the U.S. Space Command upon activation of the unified command in September 1985.

Promoted to general in 1984, then on to vice chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1987; General Herres retired in 1990 and passed away July 24, 2008.

Dr. Ray O. Johnson holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University and a master's degree and PhD in Electrical Engineering from AFIT. As Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, Dr. Johnson guides Lockheed Corporations' technology vision and provides leadership in the strategic areas of technology and engineering; he also leads the Corporation's Advanced Concepts Organization and the Center for Innovation, a world-class laboratory for collaborative experimentation and analysis involving Lockheed Martin, its customers, and industry partners.

Before joining Lockheed Martin, Dr. Johnson was the Chief Operating Officer for Modern Technology Solutions, Inc and prior to that held a variety of executive positions with Science Applications International Corporation. He is a Full Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, a Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Dr. Johnson currently chairs the Council on Competitiveness Technology Leadership and Strategy Initiative and he is Chairman of the USA Science & Engineering Festival Advisory board.

To learn more about these distinguished alumni and the scheduled Heritage Symposium speakers, who include: Lt. Gen. Allen Peck (Commander, Air University), Maj. Gen. David Eidsaune (Director, Strategic Plans, Programs and Analyses, AFMC, HQ), Dr. Guion Bluford (first African-American in space), Dr. Kevin Ford (NASA Astronaut), and Mr. Joe Zeis (Dayton Development Coalition) visit www.afit.edu/symposium.

The Heritage Symposium and Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet is open to the public, however registration is required.