The “Gallery of Great Airmen” is an artistic gem located in the Exemplar area of Fairchild Hall. 

The large display features portraits of 68 leaders, including iconic Americans such as the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Bob Hope and Gen. Jimmy Stewart. 

The Falcon Foundation donated the works of art to the U.S. Air Force Academy on May 6, 1966. Many of the individuals immortalized here are namesakes of scholarships provided by the nonprofit. 

The Falcon Foundation was incorporated in Texas on April 7, 1958, as “The Mitchell Foundation.” That name didn’t last long, however, as the heirs of Gen. Mitchell objected to the use of his name for this purpose, and the organization was soon renamed “The Falcon Foundation.” 

The organization’s primary objective is to fund civilian prep school attendance for prospective cadets who did not receive direct entry into the Academy. The Falcon Foundation has been extraordinarily successful in this endeavor, having provided approximately 4,000 scholarships, the first three going to members of the Class of 1963. 

The number of Falcon scholars who have graduated from the Academy is approaching 3,000. Included in that number are Bart Holaday, Class of 1965, the first Falcon scholar to also become a Rhodes scholar; Gen. (Ret.) William Looney, Class of 1972, the first Falcon scholar to attain the rank of four-star general; and the two most recent past Air Force chiefs, retired generals Mark Welsh III, Class of 1976, and David Goldfein, Class of 1983. 

The Falcon Foundation’s contribution to the Academy is by no means limited to scholarships and paintings. Among its many other gifts to the Academy are the 15-foot bronze statue of an eagle on the trail between the Visitor Center and the Cadet Chapel, the Schlomo Katz paintings normally displayed in the Jewish Chapel, and General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold in front of Arnold Hall.