“Jewel of the Rockies” is a remarkably candid history of the Air Force Academy.
The hour-long documentary making its debut Sept. 19 (9 p.m., KRMA-Channel 6) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the nation’s newest military academy with history, prominent politicians and the gung-ho spirit of the 36,000 officers who have passed through the academy near Colorado Springs.
But it’s not all blue skies.
Channel 6 producer Trux Simmons doesn’t shy away from the academy’s dark side: The cheating scandals of the 1960s, the rape allegations, discrimination against women, drug and alcohol abuses. In fact, said Simmons, the academy has been controversial since Day One.
Yet nobody from the Air Force looked over his shoulder in the two years it took Simmons to complete the documentary. “They were just incredible. They stayed out of our way. They were gun-shy, to say the least. But I didn’t have to submit questions in advance.
“I was blown away how open they were. We were never told what to ask or not to ask.”
Overall, the documentary, based on 19 hours of video, 68 videotaped interviews and hundreds of still photos, is a straight-ahead look at the academy and its growth, and the reminiscences of some of those who were there at its founding.
Simmons said it was “a really daunting task” to cram 50 years of history into 56 minutes. There are wonderful tidbits – that Cecil B. DeMille-designed cadets’ uniforms; how the falcon became the mascot; and the squabble among politicians over whether the academy should be built in Illinois, Wisconsin or Colorado. “I wanted the public to know something about the academy that they didn’t already know,” said Simmons.
Today it’s hard to imagine the AFA, which opened its doors in August 1958, being anywhere other than the 19,000-acre site (larger than Manhattan) where it is.
The first classes, however, were held at Lowry AFB. Ironically, Valmore Bourque, the first of 306 cadets to sign up in July 1955, also was the first graduate killed in battle.
The program is being made available to other PBS stations. It would be a fitting gift for their viewers on Veterans Day.
Around the dial
FSN Rocky Mountain is one of 13 regional sports networks that will make 90-second fundraising appeals for victims of Hurricane Katrina during major-league baseball games they’re carrying on Tuesday and Wednesday. … Popular Dallas talk-show host Mark Davis joins the chorus of conservative voices at KNUS 710-AM today. His show will air from 10 p.m. to midnight weekdays. … Quotable: “I read Shakespeare and the Bible, and I can shoot dice. That’s what I call a liberal education.” – Tallulah Bankhead.
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-820-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
