Early documents indicate that John Heronimous, a USAF retiree working in the Retiree Activities Office (RAO) in the late 1980s or early 1990s, was the originator of Project Emeritus.
Supposedly, Heronimous had previously set up a similar program in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (records do not indicate which military installation was involved). The concept of involving retired military personnel and/or their spouses as base volunteers was supported by USAF retired Col. Don Clark, then RAO supervisor and his assistant, Art Fetskos. Two volunteers were assigned the task of calling retirees to ask if they would be interested. Heronimous brought in his own computer and this was the beginning.
The original document of organization, establishing what today is Project Emeritus, was titled The Emeritus Program Eastern Space and Missile Center Charter. The charter was approved by USAF retired Col. John R. Worthington, Eastern Space and Missile Center commander, Aug. 15, 1990. Signing as co-directors of the Emeritus Program were USAF retired Brig. Gen. William J. Crandall, and USAF retired Col. Joseph LaPanna and is when Project Emeritus was considered to official launch.
Leadership of the program began with the May 1, 1990 appointment of LaPanna as the first director of Project Emeritus. LaPanna held the assignment until Oct 1, 2006. Upon his retirement, the director's position was assumed by USAF retired Chief Master Sgt. Harold "Jerry" McAnulty, until March 31, 2010. USAR retired Col. Salvatore "Sam" Lauricella, is the current director as of April 1, 2009.
The number of retirees and their spouses enrolled as Project Emeritus volunteers in the past 20 years has varied from a reported high of 250 in the mid-1990s to the existing roster, June 2010, of nearly 155. A number of factors are thought to have contributed to this decrease in the number of volunteers and include: privatization of base work areas eliminating existing volunteer assignments; increased gas prices making is more costly for retirees residing at extreme distances from the base to travel to and from the base to perform volunteer duties; and an aging pool of retirees and spouses with medical conditions that often preclude volunteer participation.
In a recent charter revision, however, Project Emeritus obtained Wing leadership approval to expand volunteer eligibility to include active-duty personnel, dependents, military veterans and civil service. The change is designed to attract a larger number of volunteers and allows individuals to complete community service hours in support of programs such as Florida's "Bright Futures" scholarships.
During its 22-year history, Project Emeritus volunteers have been assigned to work in numerous base locations. In a July 21, 1994, a USAF press release (No. 94-77), citing the location of assignments, said, "You'll find them at the base's visitors' center, the commissary, the pharmacy, graphics and even the Cape's military traffic management command, where volunteers have been known to work 40-hour a week in support of Desert Storm/Desert Shield."
More recently, Project Emeritus volunteers are likely to be assigned to the Airman's Attic, the ID office, the Chaplain's office, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance service, the JA Office, the Director of Staff's office, the Fitness Center and the base golf course.
Project Emeritus was initiated and developed as an augmented mission to support pilot programs that could be used as a prototype for establishing similar volunteer efforts at other USAF bases. Although Project Emeritus has received, and responded to numerous requests from other military installations for information regarding the project, to our knowledge no other base has to date initiated a volunteer program based on the Project Emeritus prototype.
(Current as of July 2013)