Robert McDermott
Brigadier General Robert F. McDermott (July 13, 1920 – August 28, 2006) was the Board Chairman and CEO of USAA, and first permanent Dean of Faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy, who was acclaimed as the "Father of Modern Military Education." He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1943, and earned an MBA from Harvard and a law degree from St. Louis University. McDermott flew 61 combat missions in Europe during World War II as a P-38 fighter pilot, where he earned the Air Force and Army Distinguished Service Medals. In 1957, President Eisenhower appointed him as the first permanent professor of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and as the first Dean of the Faculty two years later. His promotion to Brigadier General made him the youngest general on active duty at that time. McDermott emerged as a pioneer in higher education and challenged traditions in military education. The innovations he introduced within the service academy system included the "whole person" concept in selecting ca