2009 Coleman Award Dinner
2009 Award to be Presented to his Widow at August 15 Dinner in Birmingham
Once they learned of the heroic nature of his life and unfortunate 1968 death in the service of our country, it didn’t take the Alabama ABT long to unanimously select Brother Jack W. Weeks, ’55 - a Cold War hero, finally openly recognized by the CIA in September 2007 - as the recipient of the Chapter’s 2009 Jefferson J. Coleman Outstanding Alumnus Award. The award will be presented to his widow, Sharlene Fenn Weeks, by Brother Dan Saltsman,’56, Jack’s closes college friend and best man at his wedding. To receive this honor to her late husband, Mrs. Weeks is coming from her home in Massachusetts, while Brother Saltsman and his wife, Violet, will be coming from their long-time residence in Webster, Florida.
As extensively reported last year in The Tuscaloosa News, the Delta Chi Quarterly, and THE COUNSELOR, Brother Weeks’ story - after being suppressed for many years because of national security concerns - was finally released by the CIA, belatedly giving Jack the recognition he so richly deserved from a grateful state and nation. He earned this gratitude while serving for nine years as an USAF jet fighter pilot in the thick of the standoff with the Soviet Union in Europe, and then from 1964 to 1968 as a CIA pilot flying challenging and dangerous high-altitude, supersonic A-12 “Blackbird” surveillance missions over countries such as China, North Vietnam and East Germany.
Jack’s most notable mission occurred only a few weeks before his death when he flew over North Korea to take photos of the USS Pueblo shortly after it was captured. The pictures proved to President Johnson that the ship and its crew were safe for the moment, and allowed negotiations to begin that achieved their release eleven months later, thereby preventing a much more serious confrontation. Shortly thereafter, on June 1, 1968, Brother Weeks was tragically lost when he and his A-12 disappeared over the South China Sea. At the time his wife was unaware of his CIA status, and when it was revealed to her as she received the CIA’s highest award, the Star of Valor medal, on Jack’s behalf, she was instructed to keep the circumstances of Jack’s CIA employment a secret, even from close family members. It was nearly forty years before his story was cleared for telling to the public, which was officially accomplished at the “Long Overdue Tribute to Jack W. Weeks” on June 4, 2008, by the USS Alabama Battleship Commission in Mobile. During the ceremony, a commendation to Brother Weeks was read from Governor Bob Riley, while, in his honor, the A-12 aircraft on display in Battleship Park was permanently named for him.
The presentation ceremony to Mrs. Weeks will be the highlight of the Alabama Chapter of Delta Chi 2009 Coleman Award Dinner, Saturday, August 15, at The Club on Red Mountain overlooking Birmingham. It will be held in the Statesman Room (a different room than for our previous dinners at The Club). The evening will begin with a 6:00 p.m., cash bar “Happy Hour,” followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. and then the award presentation. Cost of the dinner is $50.00 per person. Dinner reservations can be made by mailing your check - made out to “Alabama Delta Chi,” for “2009 Coleman Dinner” - to John Freeman, 3309 Hermitage Road, Birmingham, AL 35223. Or you can e-mail John to make your reservations and pay when you arrive. All tickets will be available at the door. In any case, for planning purposes, John needs to be informed beforehand of how many ticket reservations you want. He can be reached on weekends and evenings at 205.969.0171 or by e-mail anytime at jfreeman@vistapharm.com.
So, please make your plans now to attend. A large turnout of alumni and student member Brothers and their “significant others” is expected to honor Brother Weeks, especially from among those 1950s era Brothers who knew Brothers Weeks and Saltsman so well.
In the Bond,
John Freeman, ‘87
ABT Secretary/Treasurer
The Delta Chi Brothers usemoving companies in Alabama when moving in and out of the fraternity house.
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