WASHINGTON – Civil Air Patrol’s Dr. Jeff Montgomery is receiving one of the nation’s top aerospace education awards today during a National Coalition for Aviation and Space Education (NCASE) ceremony on Capitol Hill.
The awards ceremony, co-hosted by the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), will be from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Capitol Visitors Center.
Montgomery, a dedicated advocate for aerospace and STEM education as deputy director of aerospace education for CAP, will be honored with the 2017 Dr. Mervin K. Strickler Jr. Award for Aerospace Education Leadership. NCASE established the award in 1995 to honor Strickler and recognize individuals or organizations sharing his personal commitment and lifelong contributions to aerospace education. During his lifetime, Strickler promoted aerospace education for more than 55 years and is considered the “father” of aerospace education.
As the recipient of the 2017 award, Montgomery is representative of the best in aerospace education innovation and leadership, joining aviation pioneers such as Chuck Yeager and the late Scott Crossfield, who are previous recipients.
Montgomery has been a team member and now leader of the aerospace education division at CAP National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, where he has worked for the last 22 years.
“Dr. Jeff Montgomery has played an important leadership role in Civil Air Patrol’s outstanding aerospace education program,” said John Salvador, CAP’s chief operating officer. “He continues to lead CAP’s aerospace education team to attain new heights, most recently with CAP’s highly successful STEM kit program, which is causing greater than 75 percent of the students involved to become more interested in seeking STEM careers.
“With over 40 excellent curricula products for grades K-12, many developed by Jeff, and many other exceptional programs, Jeff and his team reach over 200,000 youth every year,” Salvador said.
Montgomery’s work at Civil Air Patrol has become the touchstone for educators and associated organizations across America. He was the lead author of CAP’s comprehensive, 675-page, full-color aerospace textbook, Aerospace, the Journey of Flight, now in its third edition and used in high schools and colleges nationwide.
In addition to his work on this textbook, which is used in the upper level of CAP’s cadet programs, Montgomery also developed the six-module Aerospace Dimensions program used for the beginning level of the cadet programs and in middle schools throughout the U.S.
“It is an honor to receive this recognition on behalf of a National Headquarters aerospace education staff and the many volunteers who do such a great job promoting AE and STEM to our members and the general public on a daily basis,” said Montgomery. “It is a privilege to work for an organization that understands the importance of AE and STEM to our youth and our country.”
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace/STEM education and serve as mentors to 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.
