Becoming 'The Colonel'
When Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations associate professor of practice Terry Hemeyer begins his classes, he asks his students to decide on one name to call him. He says that they can pick anything from “Professor” to “Terry” and even just “Hey, you!” as long as they all address him the same way.
Almost every class lands on “Colonel” — a title he earned after 20 years of service in the Air Force.
Hemeyer joined the Air Force after graduating from college with a degree in music education, having gone through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at the same time.
“I was qualified to be a junior high school and high school band leader, but I decided that the Air Force offered a different role for me, and I would try that,” Hemeyer said. “I enlisted for three years, ended up staying for 20, and I’m proud of that.”
