A life well lived
Joe Foss was a genuine American hero, and a role model for the youth of our nation. As a small town farm boy whose father died in a tragic accident when Joe was still a teenager, he willingly accepted the responsibility of providing for his family's financial needs. Despite great obstacles, Joe went on to live the American dream.
He enjoyed several highly successful careers and served with distinction in each.
LIFE:
April 17, 1915 -- January 1, 2003
EDUCATION:
B.S., University of South Dakota, 1940
HONORARY DEGREES:
LL.D., Yankton College, Yankton, South Dakota
So.D., Sioux Falls College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 4/22/66
LL.D., Black Hills State College, Spearfish, South Dakota, 5/3/73
LL.D., Aberdeen State College, Aberdeen, South Dakota
LL.D., Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 5/19/85
FAMILY:
Married to Donna Wild Hall; five children (four living)
BUSINESS AND POLITICAL:
Motivational Speaker
Co-Author, "Top Guns" and "A Proud American" -- Joe Foss with Donna Wild Foss
2001
Founded The JOE FOSS Institute with his wife Donna "didi" Foss
1982-1991
Campus Crusade for Christ International Chairman "Here's Life World"
1988-1990
President, National Rifle Association
1972-1978
Director of Public Affairs, Royal Dutch Airlines
1967-1974
Star of weekly syndicated television show, "The Outdoorsman -- Joe Foss"
1962-1964
Host, ABC weekly television show, "American Sportsman"
1959-1966
Commissioner, American Football League
1954-1958
Governor, South Dakota
1948-1953
Representative, South Dakota House of Representatives
Brigadier General and Chief of Staff, South Dakota Air National Guard
Colonel, United States Air Force, Korean War
Major, United States Marine Corps, World War II (One of the most decorated of WWII heroes, shooting down 26 enemy planes; the first pilot to do so since Eddie Rickenbacker in WWI.)
Private -- 147th Field Artillery, Sioux Falls, SD National Guard 1937-1940
ASSOCIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES:
Arizona Club Member
Air Force Academy, Director
Air Force Association, Director, National President and Chairman of the Board
American Fighter Aces, Director, National President and Chairman of the Board
American Fighter Aces Museum Foundation, Board Member
American Legion, Life Member
Arizona Arms Association, Honorary Life Member
Arizona Partnership for Air Transportation, Executive Board Member
Association of Naval Aviation, Honorary Lifetime Member
Augustana College Board of Regents, Member
Camp Fire Club of America, Honorary Member, Speaker Member
Circus Saints and Sinners, Life Member
Combat Pilots Association
Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Crippled Children's School and Hospital, Founding Committee
Crippled Children Society, First National Chairman
Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association, "Golden Eagles"
Endowment for Community Leadership, Founding Chairman
Executive Leadership Foundation, Advisory Council
Facility Group, Board of Directors
Institute for Absolute Ethics, Associate
Isaac Walton League of America, Life Member and Past President
Law Enforcement Ministries, Board Member
Legion of Valor
Charles A. Lindbergh Fund, Chairman Emeritus
Mount Rushmore Preservation Fund, Director
National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Honorary Trustee
National Institute of Former Governors
National Museum of Marine Corps Aviation, Board of Advisors
National Rifle Association, Past President and Board of Directors
National Aviation Museum Foundation, Life Member
Naval Order of the United States
Outdoor Writers Association
President's Council of Physical Fitness and Sports Scottsdale Rotary
Security Technology Ventures, Advisory Board
Security Western Savings Bank, Director Shikar-Safari Club International
The JOE FOSS Institute, Founded April 2001, Chairman Emeritus
United States National Guard Association, Executive Board Member
Wildlife Legislative Fund of America, Director Emeritus
World Fast Draw Association, Honorary Member
AWARDS AND HONORS
American Combat Airman Hall of Fame, 1997
American Hero Award, St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, 11/4/02
American Hero Award, National Rifle Association, 1995
Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, May 4, 2002
Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, Phoenix, AZ, May 15, 2001
Audie Murphy Award, presented by the WWII Veterans Committee -- A Project of the American Studies Center, Washington, DC -- November 11, 2000
BRONZE: A larger than life-sized bronze was placed in the rotunda of the International Airport at Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and an American Hero Joe Foss Scholarship Fund was also established, August 11, 1995
Campfire Club of America, Honorary Member, 2/8/1999
Congressional Medal of Honor, May 1943
David Livingston Award, Christian Sportsman Fellowship, International, Reno, NV, January, 1999
Distinguished Flying Cross
Elder Statesman of Aviation Award, 1993
FLYER'S WALL at Mission Inn, a National Historic Landmark, Riverside, CA, enshrined, March 1997
Joe Foss School, Sioux Falls, SD
Liberty Mutual Sales Hall of Fame
Lloyd P. Nolen Award (Excellence in Aviation), Houston, TX, awarded by Confederate Air Force, October 21, 2000 Los Angeles Philanthropic Foundation, Outstanding American Award, 1980
National Aviation Hall of Fame
National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, Charter Member, 1996
National Junior Chamber of Commerce (one of the ten most outstanding young men in the United States), 1943 National Veteran Award for 1983
Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame
Sales and Marketing Executive of the Year 2001, Sioux Falls, SD
Scandanavian-American Hall of Fame (In grateful recognition for courage, patriotism and freedom.)
South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame, 8/20/94
South Dakota Cowboy and Western Heritage Hall of Fame
South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame
University of South Dakota Coyote Sports Hall of Fame
Warbird of the Year 1994, by Warbirds, Inc., February 18, 1994
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