Endorsement - Rene Ramirez, '01

Fellow Classmates,

I hope this note finds everyone doing very well.

I write to you today to express my support of the Integrity, Service, Excellence (ISE) Group for the 2007 Association of Graduates Election of Directors. The group is made up of the following graduates: Mike Christy (’63), Fred Gregory (’64), Bill Stealey (’70), Mike Ott (’85), Frank Schmuck (’88), and Jereme Estes (’02). This inspiring group is made up of combat veterans, pilots, Air Force retirees, business leaders, community members, civic leaders, and devoted family members. Together they believe that Integrity, Service and Excellence are the values that have helped guide them through their very successful careers. They would like to continue to use these same tenets as AOG Directors, which as graduates we all so strongly believe in and understand.

I have had the fortune of getting to know Mr. Mike Ott through a mutual friend during my first assignment to Hanscom, AFB. Since meeting Mr. Ott, he has provided me with guidance, mentorship, and his career lessons learned inside and outside of the Air Force. Through our conversations, it is clearly evident that the character, integrity, and leadership that were instilled in him at the Academy have largely contributed to the success he has had throughout his professional career. When run correctly, he truly understands how powerful the AOG can be in fulfilling its mission and he remains committed to supporting the Academy and its graduates.

It was also during my first assignment that I was able to get to know and work with Mr. Jereme Estes having both been assigned to the same program office at Hanscom. Jereme was very well respected by the program office’s leadership because of his work ethic, professionalism, and job knowledge. It was well known around the office that he was always willing to help his fellow CGOs in times of need either professionally or personally. On several occasions Jereme expressed to me his desire to give back to the Academy for the significant positive impact it has had on his life. Jereme shares many of the same Academy concerns that we all have as recent graduates. Being a part of the AOG Board of Directors would provide Jereme the opportunity to give back and to have a true impact on our Academy and its graduates.

As more and more years come between our days at the Academy and the present, the AOG is becoming more important to our class and to us as individuals. The AOG is our only united voice that is heard at the Academy. It is important that our AOG’s Board of Directors represents the values and tenets that were instilled in us and weigh so much on the decisions we make during our lives. Graduates like Mike Ott, Jereme Estes, and the rest of the ISE Group will represent us well during the years to come because they remain committed to the Academy and the values that bind us together as a class and as graduates. Please consider this group during the Board of Directors elections this spring.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.


Rene Ramirez (’01)

Endorsement - Dick Husemann,’65

To:  Bill Stealey

Please consider me as a certain vote for you and the ISE group for the upcoming AOG Board of Directors election.  We have met only once and then very briefly at a NC AOG dinner a couple years ago – living in Wilmingtonas I do is pretty far from the epicenter of NC AOG activities in Raleigh.  I have, however, followed with close interest and sincere appreciation the many initiatives you have launched and your continuing and very valuable contributions to many NC AOG activities, as evident in your frequent e-mails. Moreover, my support for you and the ISE is further b ased on (1) my perspective of the functions of the AOG resonates closely with the ISE perspective.  Your approach seems to be truly graduate and USAFA focused with emphasis on cooperation and collaboration, rather than confrontation, with the AOG staff; (2) you have allied yourself with Mike Christy, 63, with whom I had the pleasure and honor to serve with on active duty.  Mike is among the finest officers and gentlemen I have known and his commitment to the advancement of the AOG and Academy is unquestioned. 

Best regards,

Dick Husemann,’65

Endorsement - Ron Yates, '60

To Fred Gregory and the Integrity, Service, and Excellence (ISE) Group of Candidates:


"This is  a great idea! Of course, I unequivocally indorse your candidacy. I
also resonate with the very broad principals that you outline for the ISE
Team...I have seen more of the ISE candidates' views and visited the web
site... I can wholeheartedly support the entire slate of candidates....I
wish you the very best!"

General Ron Yates, USAFA Class of 1960

Endorsement - Les Dyer, '69

Let me take a moment of your time to recommend and highly endorse the ISE Six, for lack of a better collective term. This will be short, if not sweet, I promise. Known Bill Stealey since ‘70 (taught him all he knows, in fact) and I am in constant email and face-to-face frequently with one of the finest men produced by USAFA in all her years - Mike Christy. Though I do not personally know the other esteemed gents, when these two endorse individuals - it is good enough to stand any test.

I strongly endorse these candidates and urge you to consider doing the same. Regardless ---- vote !

Les Dyer
USAFA ‘69
Class VP

Endorsement - H. Lindsey Parris, '69

USAFA Brothers and Sisters:

I commend to your attention the Integrity Service and Excellence (ISE) candidates, a group of six grads that spans four decades: Mike Christy (‘63), Fred Gregory (‘64), Bill Stealey (‘70) , Mike Ott (‘85), Frank Schmuck (‘88), and Jereme Estes (‘02) .

Having known Mike Christy for twenty years, I know of no one I trust more to serve on our Board. He is a man of the highest integrity, intelligence, experience, and professionalism, as well as measured common sense—with AF-blue blood in his veins to boot. It would be my honor to serve with him in any capacity, under any circumstance.

I worked with Fred Gregory during his NASA years, and he stands out for the same reasons. Bill Stealey, of the distinguished Class after my own, is cut from the same cloth. Though I do not know Mike Ott, Frank, or Jeremy personally, I have read and advocate the ISE’s positions on the key issues that affect our Association.

Those stands, the implicit endorsement by and explicit common cause with Mike Christy, Fred, and Bill are all I need to know to give them my full support.
Accordingly, I strongly endorse the ISE "slate of six" for your consideration in the upcoming election. Whatever your inclinations as regard the candidates and the positions they support, this is a crucial election for our AOG, and our Institution needs your vote.

H. Lindsey Parris
Class of 1969