Robert F. McDermott

Robert Francis McDermott (July 31, 1920 – August 28, 2006) was the first permanent dean of the Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy, and later served as chairman and CEO of USAA. He is often referred to as the "Father of Modern Military Education" for his contributions to that field.

Education McDermott graduated from the Boston Latin School, attended Norwich University, and in 1943, graduated from the United States Military Academy. In 1950, he earned a master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School, and later earned a doctor of laws degree from St. Louis University.

Air Force Career General McDermott served as a combat pilot and operations officer of a fighter-bomber group in the European Theater during World War II and as a staff officer in a theater headquarters and in the Pentagon. His combat decorations include the Bronze Star and the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters; he also was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal (Army and Air Force), and the Legion of Merit.

He was appointed by President Eisenhower as the first permanent professor of the United States Air Force Academy in 1957, and as the first permanent Dean of the Faculty in 1959. His promotion to brigadier general that accompanied his appointment as dean made him the youngest general or flag officer on active duty at that time.

General McDermott has emerged as a recognized leader in higher education and pioneer in military education. The innovations he introduced in the service academy system of education included the "whole person" concept in selecting cadets and a program of advanced and elective courses to enrich the prescribed curriculum. The concept of using measures of a candidate's moral and leadership attributes as well as physical and mental qualifications for selection was introduced in 1956, for the first time at any service academy.

Also in 1956, as another service academy first, General McDermott introduced a comprehensive curriculum enrichment program designed to provide each cadet with a challenge to advance academically as far and as fast as possible, in accordance with the cadet's aptitudes, interests and prior preparation. General McDermott laid the groundwork for the establishment of an Astronautical Research Laboratory and an extension of the enrichment program to include graduate education opportunities for exceptional cadets. He was credited with introducing about 30 academic majors to the Academy and bringing a degree of flexibility to curriculum requirements.

Post-Air Force McDermott wrote books on finance for service personnel, which attracted the attention of USAA president Charles Cheever and in 1968, McDermott retired from the Air Force to join USAA and become its chief executive officer. Under his leadership, USAA grew from the 16th to the 5th largest insurer of private automobiles in the nation and the nation's 4th largest homeowner insurer. A Washington Post obituary explained:

Within the company, he was a leading force for minority hiring and equalizing wages. He established four-day workweeks and made employee child care a feature to attract working mothers. "You don't lead by being authoritarian, he said....He had a reputation as a rare maverick in the insurance business, most notably advocating air bags as a crucial safety measure when auto manufacturers were saying it was too costly. His Golden Plate was presented by Awards Council member General David C. Jones.

Death McDermott died on August 28, 2006, in San Antonio at the age of 86. He had suffered a stroke about a month earlier. General McDermott was eulogized by former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry G. Cisneros at the funeral, and interred at Fort Sam Houston United States National Cemetery on September 1, 2006.