William S . Stone General William Sebastian Stone ( January 6 , 1910 – December 2 , 1968 ) was an American United States Air Force Major General and the third Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy . His final assignment was as the air deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe . Stone was born at Cape Girardeau , Missouri on January 6 , 1910 . After graduating from high school in St . Louis , he attended the United States Military Academy , and , upon graduation on June 12 , 1934 , was commissioned a Second Lieutenant . Upon completing flying training in October 1935 , he was assigned to the 32nd Bomb Squadron at March Field , California . Two years later , in June 1937 , he entered the California Institute of Technology . He received the degree of master of science in meteorology the following year and was assigned to Fort Lewis , Washington as the Weather Officer . In May 1940 , he was appointed to West Point as an instructor in economics , government and history . After two years at West Point , he was assigned to head the Air Corps Weather Research project at the California Institute of Technology . This assignment was followed by attendance at the Command and General Staff College , Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , and then duty as chief of staff and deputy commander of the Air Corps Weather Wing at Asheville , North Carolina . During this assignment he spent several months on temporary duty in the European , Far Eastern and Pacific theaters . In the summer of 1944 , General Stone was appointed director of Weather Services for the Army Air Force in the Pacific Ocean area and for the U . S . Strategic Air Forces in Guam during the bombing raids on Japan . In 1946 , he was appointed chief of staff of the Air Weather Service in Washington , D . C . The following year , he returned to West Point as associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences ; and while in that assignment he earned a master ' s degree in economics from Columbia University . In August 1950 , he entered the National War College . Upon graduation the following summer , he was assigned to Headquarters , U . S . Air Forces in Europe , initially as assistant chief of the Plans Division , then the following year as division chief . After promotion to the grade of brigadier general , he was transferred to Headquarters , U . S . Air Force , in July 1953 , as deputy director and then director of personnel planning . In September 1956 , he was appointed assistant deputy chief of staff for personnel in the grade of major general . In June 1957 , he was assigned to McGuire Air Force Base , New Jersey , as commander , Atlantic Division , Military Air Transport Service ; and upon its reorganization , as commander , Eastern Transport Air Force . In August 1959 , he was assigned as superintendent at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado , where he served for three years . He was then returned to the headquarters of the U . S . Air Force in Washington as deputy chief of staff personnel . Upon completion of this assignment in July 1966 , Stone was assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Paris as air deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe . Stone died while on active duty on December 2 , 1968 . Awards and decorations . Stone was a rated command pilot and technical observer . His decorations include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster , Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters , Bronze Star , Air Medal and the Army Commendation Ribbon