Light Out of Darkness

The Air Force Art Program has adopted a series of nine paintings depicting the history of manned flight and painted by an artist who remained a mystery until recently. “The big significance is that we capture some heritage, so that it doesn’t get lost,” said Col. Russell Wilson, 721st Mission Support Group commander at Cheyenne Mountain AFS, Colo., where the paintings hang on display. Rescued years ago from a storage closet at the Chidlaw building, the former headquarters of the then-Aerospace Defense Command, the paintings illustrate man’s struggle for the air from Icarus to the 1970’s AWACS and F-15. Known only by “T. Patterson” on the paintings, deceased USAF graphic artist Terrance Patterson remained unidentified until his son heard of the Air Force’s search for the painter, reported Southern Colorado’s KKTV News. (Cheyenne report by Monica Mendoza)