How did the 6 Jun 73 Graduates become the "Illustrious Class"? The lore as passed down:
At the time of our 25th reunion, Steve Lorenz was the Commandant of Cadets. Corona was the same weekend as our reunion, and somehow we had worked into our Friday schedule an “Air Force Update” by Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall. We had all gathered in H-1 and were waiting for the Secretary to arrive. When she did, Steve, in his role as Commandant and a member of the class, introduced us as “The Illustrious Class of 1973.” That was 1998.
When we look back over the past almost 48 years and consider all that our class has done to contribute to our nation and alma mater, what started out as a proud classmate's description of his class to the Secretary of his Service and became an in-your-face, over-the-top way to get under the skin of graduates from other classes in the best cadet tradition has become a recognized though reluctantly admitted "no brag, just fact" reality and a challenge to every other class to match our accomplishments. We truly have become The Illustrious Class of 1973. And we're not done yet.
At the time of our 25th reunion, Steve Lorenz was the Commandant of Cadets. Corona was the same weekend as our reunion, and somehow we had worked into our Friday schedule an “Air Force Update” by Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall. We had all gathered in H-1 and were waiting for the Secretary to arrive. When she did, Steve, in his role as Commandant and a member of the class, introduced us as “The Illustrious Class of 1973.” That was 1998.
When we look back over the past almost 48 years and consider all that our class has done to contribute to our nation and alma mater, what started out as a proud classmate's description of his class to the Secretary of his Service and became an in-your-face, over-the-top way to get under the skin of graduates from other classes in the best cadet tradition has become a recognized though reluctantly admitted "no brag, just fact" reality and a challenge to every other class to match our accomplishments. We truly have become The Illustrious Class of 1973. And we're not done yet.