Col. (Ret.) Leonard "Lucky" Ekman '63 and his spouse, Kaye, grew up in Army families. The Army connection, however, did not stop Col. Ekman from attending the U.S. Air Force Academy to pursue his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. Now, he and Kaye are honoring their friends Dr. Bill '63 and the late Mary Linn Wecker by helping to fund the construction of Wecker Hall, which will serve as headquarters for the Air Force Academy Foundation and house the combined Association of Graduates and Foundation staff.

Col. Ekman, a 2021 Distinguished Graduate, completed pilot training at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. He amassed thousands of Vietnam combat hours, flying 350 strike and Wild Weasel missions. During one of those missions, his aircraft was shot down. After being rescued, Col. Ekman went on to become one of the Vietnam War's most decorated pilots. Around this time, he met Kaye, who was pursuing a career as an educator. They were married in 1968.

The Ekmans' military travels took them around the world. Col. Ekman served as a commander at George Air Force Base in California before returning to the Academy to teach political science, instruct soaring and serve as an Air Officer Commanding. His later career included serving as the Air Force section chief in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, commander of the air-to-air weapons evaluation group in Florida and vice commander of the 16th Air Force in Spain. Meanwhile, Kaye earned a Ph.D. in counseling, with her dissertation leading to what is now known as the Airmen & Family Readiness Program.

Col. Ekman credits Kaye for how their family flourished. "Our kids are our joy, and they continue to inspire us - it's what life is all about. Kaye and I are so proud of their accomplishments," he says. Two of their children are USAFA graduates: Ken '91 and Katie '96. Their son, Kit, is a Harvard and Harvard Law graduate, and their adopted son, Kevin, graduated from Haney Technical College.

While living near Tyndall Air Force Base, the Ekmans purchased a second home in the mountains of southern New Mexico.

"It was a nice place to relax away from Florida's heat, and we had many good family times there. But as we reached our 80s, we found we were using it less and less," Col. Ekman says. "At Kaye's urging, we decided to move forward with bequeathing this vacation property to help fund the construction of Wecker Hall and Yost Plaza and provide a fitting home for our Foundation and AOG staff."

The Ekmans donated the property to the Air Force Academy Real Estate Trust, which can accept many forms of real property.

"This is not just a donation of our beautiful mountain home," says Kaye Ekman. "I view it as payment on an IOU for three top-quality educations and starts to great careers for Lucky, Ken, and Katie."

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Published Fall 2024