On writing: Academy official, grad wins education award

  • Published
  • By Ray Bowden
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Mark Twain wrote, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."  

Retired Lt. Col. Steven Simon, the U.S. Air Force Academy's graduate and donor liaison, appears to take Twain's adage to heart. Early this month, he discovered he'd won an international education council annual writing award for his feature story on the Academy's founding, published in the June issue of "Checkpoints," the Academy's Association of Graduates' quarterly magazine.

Simon, an Academy Class of '77 graduate, won the gold medal award in the international education category for District 14 - an area spanning Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Oregon and Washington - given by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

CASE promotes alumni relations and public support of education; the Council includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities and nonprofit organizations in 82 countries. 

Simon's nearly 3,200 word article, "Sixty Years: The Building of the Air Force Academy," examines the triumphs and trials endured by Academy supporters while they advocated for a separate Air Force's academy.

The AOG took advantage of the opportunity to submit Simon's article to the council in the "Best Articles of the Year" category, said David Bergeman, the AOG's managing editor.

"We recently found out Steve won a Gold Award from our district, which includes submissions from some of the largest universities in the country," he said. "The article will now be competing against a handful of other entries for CASE's national article of the year." 

Simon said it's a privilege to tell the Academy's story.

"I'm honored to write about the Academy because it helps others understand who we are as a community," he said. "Speaking for Academy staff and the AOG, we're often all so busy we don't have time to reflect on how we got to where we are today."

Simon, a lifelong AOG member, regularly contributes to "Checkpoints."

"My first thought was how great it is for the article and for the Academy to get this recognition," he said. "I'm grateful the AOG's staff allowed me to contribute several articles to its special 60th anniversary commemorative issue of 'Checkpoints,' and I appreciate that they took time to nominate the article for the award."

Retired Col. Brian Binn, the Academy's Development and Alumni Affairs chief, is Simon's supervisor. 

"Anyone who knows Steve is very familiar with his writing ability, which actually includes two published novels," Binn said. "He's done an incredible job this past year capturing a day-to-day history of significant events for the Academy during our 60th anniversary year. The CASE award is well deserved."

Simon said he's come full circle, from his basic military training, to retiring as a field grade officer and now working as an alumni official. He holds his alma mater's mission of developing leaders close to his heart, he said.

"The Academy set me on the course of my life and I know who I am today from having been a cadet," he said. "Working here gives me a chance to give back and the AOG does the same thing for its community, so it's a real privilege to have the article published in 'Checkpoints.'"

Bergeman called Simon Steve a "great ambassador" for the Academy.

"We published several of the historical retrospectives he has written about his alma mater," he said. "The Building of the Air Force Academy,' details the Air Force Academy's site selection, choice of architect and campus design - all matters of national intrigue and controversy at the time. It's one of the most well-written, historical pieces that I've read about the Academy."