Moorman, Thomas S. (Thomas Samuel), 1910-1997

Air Force officer.

Thomas S. Moorman, Jr., graduated from West Point in 1933 and earned his wings the following year. By 1937, Moorman entered the field of meteorology, obtained a Master of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology and embarked on an area of activity which would dominate the next twenty years of his military career. In 1941, General Moorman was assigned to Washington, D. C. where he served as chief climatologist and assistant director of the Air Corps Research Center and liaison officer to the U. S. Weather Bureau. During World War II, Moorman was Director of Weather for Ninth Air Force and later served as commanding officer of the 21st Weather Squadron and Staff Weather Officer for Ninth Air Force. After V-J Day, General Moorman returned to the United States as deputy chief of staff for Air Weather Service. All the while, he advanced through the ranks, becoming a brigadier in 1952 and adding his third star in 1961. After four years with the Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii, Moorman was assigned to the Air Force Academy in the wake of an earlier cheating scandal and became the fifth and longest-serving superintendent of the Academy. When cheating once again became an issue in 1967, General Moorman flew to Washington and persuaded his superiors to let the cadets themselves handle the affair this time. Under his guidance, credibility was restored and the academy reclaimed its good name. After retirement in 1970, Moorman served as President of the Friends of the Air Force Academy Library and a trustee of the Falcon Foundation. He was also very active in environmental issues, serving on the Colorado Air Resources Board and as an Advisor to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. He died in 1997.