Nearly 1,000 people filled the Doolittle Campus and later its Heritage Trail Oct. 2 as the Class of 1976 dedicated its 50th reunion class gift and presented it to the Air Force Academy

"Today's gift presentation and dedication is a living testament to our core values: integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. And these are the values that are forged into cadets who graduate and become members of the Long Blue Line," Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Jack Catton '76 said during the ceremony. "It is with great gratitude and humility that the bicentennial class of 1976 presents our 50th reunion class gift to the Air Force Academy.” Gen. Catton was the class reunion chair.

The Spirit of '76 Echelon honors all graduates of the Academy. As visitors approach the Echelon on the Heritage Trail, they are greeted by a kiosk that invokes the Cadet Chapel spires and includes a futuristic starship and monolith to connect the past and future.

The first graduating class — the Class of 1959 — is honored with a B-25 propeller sculpture, recognizing it as the bridge between the Army Air Corps and the Long Blue Line. Immediately after this tribute, each ensuing decade of graduates is honored with an echelon formation of C-130 Hercules propellers — one for each class — chosen because the C-130’s maiden flight was during the year the Air Force Academy was founded.

More than 600 members of the Class of 1976 contributed to the project, raising $4.3 million. Mark Hille ’97, president and CEO of the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation, thanked the members of the class for their vision and generosity in creating the project.

“The Spirit of ’76 Echelon joins two other recent additions to the Heritage Trail: the class ring sculpture in Yost Plaza and the Distinguished Graduate Award Memorial,” Hille said. “Along with the existing Southeast Asia Memorial and the Mall of Heroes, the Echelon deepens and enhances the expression of the growing power of our heritage as an Academy and the Long Blue Line.”

Lt. Gen. Paul Moga ’95, superintendent of the Air Force Academy, highlighted the class’s institutional pride during his dedication remarks.

“One generation accepting responsibility from those who came before and preparing to pass it on to those who will follow,” Gen. Moga said of USAFA’s legacy. “Institutional pride flourishes when we all understand USAFA’s mission and our role as grads in supporting it…. It’s events like this one here this morning where we remind ourselves of our obligation to preserve the legacy of the Academy’s values, traditions and high standards. The Spirit of ’76 Echelon is a symbol of our shared commitment to live up to the ideals of our Academy.”

In addition to the Echelon project, the Class of 1976 created a Gone But Not Forgotten Endowment that recognizes the importance of supporting the graduate community and families as they navigate the details leading to the final celebration of life for a member of the Long Blue Line.

The dedication also included a choral christening of the project by the Class of 1976 Cadet Chorale and a two-ship F-15 flyover.