On the 14th of October our company’s co-founder Col. (ret) Bryce Hollingsworth attended the US Air Force Academy naming ceremony in honor of his mentor, Colonel Arthur G. Witters. The headquarters of the Base Civil Engineer who operates and maintains all buildings and systems will bear Colonel Witters’ name.

The ceremony took place at the Doolittle Hall at the Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Bryce Hollingsworth began his career as a Second Lieutenant in 1954 reporting to then Major Witters, the first Installations Director on the staff of Gen. Hubert Harmon, who is considered the founding father of the Air Force Academy.  Col. Hollingsworth was invited to speak as the last remaining commissioned officer of the Installations Director staff.

Major Witters and Lt. Hollingsworth wrote the 82 design directives used by Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) to develop the masterplan of the USAF Academy. Over the subsequent four years under their management, those directives were transformed into the Academy that is recognized today as a monument of modern architecture.

In the naming ceremony Bryce remembered Col. Witters as an inspiring leader, that trusted him and allowed him to learn and grow. “He became not only my first commanding officer, but my personal friend and my mentor for nearly 60 years,” he said. “He was a scholar, a gentleman, and my mentor and my close personal friend. Other than my father, I had no one else that had more effect on my life than Arthur Witters. I miss him every day. He was truly the founding father of the facilities of the Air Force Academy, just as much as Gen. Harmon was the founding father of the Academy in total.” Bryce Hollingsworth explained to those gathered.

Witters, Bryce mentioned, is in some form the forefather of Hollingsworth Pack. He advised Bryce how to establish a firm and how to operate it.

The Air Force Academy Association of Graduates has posted the event on YouTube and their website. Congratulations to all those involved and especially to the Witters family.