Weckers provide lead gift for new Air Force Academy Foundation headquarters
Bill and Mary Linn Wecker of Jackson, Wyoming, are the lead donors for a new 25,800-square-foot headquarters building for the Air Force Academy Foundation to be named Wecker Hall. The facility will, for the first time, bring together the entire staff of the Foundation, which for 16 years has operated from separated, temporary office space. The Foundation currently has offices in Doolittle Hall, headquarters of the Association of Graduates, and in the 10th Air Base Wing headquarters building.
Bill Wecker, a 1963 graduate of the Academy, flew more than 100 combat missions over North Vietnam in the F-4. Later, he became the Air Force chief of protocol in Berlin. After seven years on active duty, he separated from the Air Force and completed his Ph.D. in statistics and applied mathematics, eventually becoming a professor at the University of Chicago.
In 2007, Dr. Wecker and Terry Drabant, a 1965 USAFA graduate, co-founded the Air Force Academy Foundation (formerly the USAFA Endowment) to help donors effectively engage with the Academy.
“We have finally arrived,” said Dr. Wecker, a 2021 Academy Distinguished Graduate. “From a small startup operation with grand ideas and no track record to what the Air Force Academy Foundation is today — more than $400 million raised to benefit cadets. And now a Foundation headquarters building to match that accomplishment.”
When complete, in addition to serving as headquarters for the Air Force Academy Foundation, Wecker Hall will include office space for the staffs of the Association of Graduates (AOG) and other nonprofits dedicated to supporting the mission of the U.S. Air Force Academy. It will be situated just west of Doolittle Hall, and the buildings will be connected by a new plaza — to be named Yost Plaza in honor of Dave ’69 and Jean Yost — which will serve as an inviting entrance to the Heritage Trail.
In 2022, the Air Force Academy Foundation and Association of Graduates formed a joint mission: to support the Academy, serve graduates and preserve the heritage of the institution.
The boards of the Foundation and the AOG conducted a ceremonial groundbreaking for Wecker Hall during their October meetings. During the ceremony, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould ’76, CEO of the Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation, expressed his gratitude for the Weckers’ involvement from the beginning of the organization.
“We are turning the Doolittle campus into a destination for graduates, parents, and visitors alike. To Bill and Mary Linn Wecker, we say a hearty thanks for their extraordinary leadership, generosity, and that vision from back in 2007.”
Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2024.
The Weckers’ gift was given as part of the Defining Our Future comprehensive campaign in support of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The $300 million fundraising goal of the campaign includes support for a multitude of key Academy programs and projects, encompassing academic, athletic and heritage programs as well as projects that enhance the cadet experience.
While the federal government and U.S. Air Force adequately fund core Academy needs, private support is required to enhance and maximize cadets’ educational and leadership opportunities.