Gone But Not Forgotten

Honoring fallen comrades is an important part of the AOG mission and we ask to be notified as soon as possible of the death of any graduate, Air Training Officer or cadet so that we can take appropriate actions. The AOG has learned of the following deaths within the past 90 days.

For best results, try searching by Last Name (e.g. Smith), Class Year (e.g. 1959), or Cadet Squadron (e.g. CS-01). More complex searches may not return desired results.

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Dr. Gary Peterson - Class of 1967 , CS-17

Deceased on September 9, 2021 - Informed on September 20, 2021

A Celebration of Life service will be held on 1 Oct 2021 at 1400 hours at Walkers Funeral Home; 120 Franklin St; Chapel Hill, NC 27516; (919) 942-3861; www.walkersfuneralservice.com. Interment will follow on a later date still to be determined. His obituary can be found at https://walkersfuneralservice.com/tribute/details/3023/Gary-Peterson-MD/obituary.html#tribute-start

Lt Col (Ret) Gary Pointer - Class of 1971 , CS-01

Deceased on September 15, 2020 - Informed on January 29, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 30 June 2021 at 1000 hours at the USAFA Cemetery.

Maj (Ret) George Pollard - Class of 1972 , CS-34

Deceased on June 21, 2021 - Informed on June 22, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A Memorial service was held on 27 June 2021 at 1600 at the Pulpit Rock Church in Colorado Springs. Burial and graveside service will be held on 6 Aug 2021 at 0900 hours at the USAFA Cemetery. Immediately following the burial a reception will be held at Holy Trinity Anglican Church; 13990 Glen Eagle Dr; Colorado Springs, CO 80921.

Lt Col (Ret) Clinton Price - Class of 1967 , CS-13

Deceased on December 26, 2020 - Informed on January 26, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 21 June 2021 at the USAFA Cemetery Memorial Pavilion. Placement in the columbarium will immediately follow. No obituary information is available.

Mr. John Rankin - Class of 1970 , CS-20

Deceased on March 5, 2020 - Informed on March 13, 2020

UPDATE: A funeral service for Colonel Rankin will be held on 8 Sep 2021 at 1400 hours at the USAFA Cemetery. The original notice is below. Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A memorial service will be held on 14 Mar 2020 at 1100 hours at St. Alban's Anglican Chruch; 3348 W State Rd 426; Oviedo, FL 32765; (407) 657-2376. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Georgia Chapter; 57 Executive Park S, Suite 380; Atlanta, GA 30329; (800)344-4823; www.fightcf.cff.org

Mr. Cyrus Rickards - Class of 1963 , CS-17

Deceased on June 22, 2021 - Informed on June 28, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A memorial service will be held on 30 Jun 2021 at 1000 hours at the St Ignatius Parish; 35 Arden Way; Sacramento, CA 95825; (916) 488-3907. His obituary may be found at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sacbee/name/cyrus-rickards-obituary?n=cyrus-rickards&pid=199196060&fhid=8307&utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ObitMessenger_Results_PowerInbox_Neustar_081320&utm_content=ObituaryURL&sfmc_id=10120574&env=1bb3e59a170d6ee57c05160300b4089f385764d2.

Lt Col (Ret) Lesley Robinson - Class of 1979 , CS-40

Deceased on May 5, 2021 - Informed on May 19, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Services and burial were held on 14 May 2021 in North Carolina. Burial was in Coastal Carolina Veteran's Cemetery. His family has suggested that memorial donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Masonic Home For Children at Oxford; 600 College St; Oxford, NC 27565; (800) 505-4357; https://my.simplegive.com/App/Giving/mhco. His obituary can be found at https://www.bryantfuneralhomeandcrematory.com/obituary/lesley-robinson.

Mr. Michael Roth - Class of 1963 , CS-05

Deceased on January 23, 2021 - Informed on January 25, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A funeral service will be held on 31Jan 2021 at 1300 hours CST at the Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, TX. The service will be live-streamed at https://www.beth-elsa.org/live-streaming/. His obituary may be found at www.porterloring.com His family has suggested that memorial donations be made in lieu of flowers to Musical Education Programs at Trinity University. Checks made payable to Trinity University may be sent to Trinity University Advancement; One Trinity Place #49; San Antonio, TX 78212; (888) 883-6667. Please be sure to include a note directing where you wish your donation to go. Donations may also be made online at www.trinity.edu/give-trinity. UPDATE 9/15/2022: A funeral service will be held on 14 Oct 2022 at 1030 hours at the USAFA Cemetery Memorial Pavilion followed by placement in the Columbarium.

Col (Ret) Van Sanders , Jr. - Class of 1965 , CS-03

Deceased on April 29, 2021 - Informed on May 4, 2021

A direct burial will take place on 7 May 2021 at 1100 hours at the USAFA Cemetery. No service is planned, however, the class of 1965 is invited to attend the burial. Condolence information is not available.

Lt Col John Schriever - Class of 1997 , CS-21

Deceased on December 17, 2020 - Informed on January 7, 2021

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A Celebration of Life will be held on 9 Jan 2021 at 1400 hours at the Cresson Volunteer Fire Dept.; 111 Concorde Cir; Cresson, TX 76035. His obituary can be found at https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gosanangelo/obituary.aspx?n=lieutenant-colonel-john-michael-schriever-yeti&pid=197443292&utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ObitMessenger_Results_PowerInbox_Neustar_081320&utm_content=ObituaryURL&sfmc_id=10120574.

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Next of Kin

For Next of Kin support resources please visit: https://www.usafanextofkin.org/

Frequently Asked Questions

Gone But Not Forgotten Annual Publication

The Air Force Academy Association and Foundation are introducing a new benefit to better memorialize USAFA graduates and support their families. We are launching a new annual memorial publication in 2025.

A: As the Academy graduate population ages, Checkpoints is increasingly insufficient in accommodating the increasing number of obituaries. This has necessitated the creation of a new publication as part of our commitment to remembering all fallen graduates, Air Training Officers and cadets.
A: The purpose of the publication is to honor and perpetuate the legacy of the Long Blue Line through the personal stories of our graduates. The publication is in the spirit of our mission to support the Academy, serve graduates and preserve the heritage of the institution.
A: Gone But Not Forgotten will be part of the final name, which is not yet finalized.
A: No, but the Association will list basic information on deaths in each issue of Checkpoints.
A: No. If/when memorial articles are sent to the AOG, the tribute is posted to this webpage.
A: A complimentary copy will be mailed to a loved one of the deceased. It is not yet determined if the printed publication will be available at a nominal cost or at no cost to AOG members.
A: There will be a one-year transition period. Memorial articles sent in to run in Checkpoints in 2024 will also appear in the inaugural memorial publication. The deadline for Gone But Not Forgotten submissions in the December 2024 issue of Checkpoints is mid-October, but any memorial articles about deaths for the remainder of 2024 received by mid-January 2025 will appear in the inaugural 2025 stand-alone publication. Then going forward, the full years’ worth of tributes would be published in the next year’s volume.
A: The first memorial publication will likely be printed in February or March of 2025.
A: We currently have a 400-word maximum for each memorial tribute and will continue with that limit for the first stand-alone publication. We’re doing this because we have already received submissions at that length and don’t plan to ask for longer versions for the 2025 edition.
A: We will transition to roughly 450- or 900-word options for memorial tributes. Whoever writes and submits the memorial article will have the option to write to either word limit.
A: A recent favorite photo of the deceased, when possible. The photo (head and shoulders, color preferred) should be emailed as a .jpg and sent as a high-resolution image.
A: Please email Next-of-Kin Support Specialist Terri Davis at deceasednotifications@usafa.org.
A: That is coming soon.
A: Please reach out to David Bitton, assistant director of strategic communications and publications, at 719-247-8745 or use our Contact Form.

Gone But Not Forgotten