Posted by Tim and Brig. Gen. Dana Born on June 10, 2009:

Colonel Mione was among the early pioneers at United States Air Force Academy, arriving in 1963 and assigned to the Department of Physics. Like many other senior faculty members of his generation, he was a graduate of the United States Military Academy -- Class of 1949. Following graduation, he earned his pilot wings at Air Training Command in 1950, and then went on to earn both his Masters and PhD in Nuclear Engineering from North Carolina State College in 1953 and 1964 respectively. Colonel Mione was appointed as Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Physics in 1966. During his Academy tenure, Colonel Mione also performed research for Space Systems Division, underwent his sabbatical in Belgium and the United Kingdom, and was instrumental in initiating a cooperative Departmental Plasma Research Program with the Aerospace Research Corporation, El Segundo, California. He served on several major Academy boards and committees to include: Faculty Council and Curriculum Committee; Graduate Scholarship Committee; Academy Board; Chairman, Basic Sciences Division; Honor Review Board; and the 20th Anniversary Review Committee. Among his many contributions to the Academy, Colonel Mione also endowed the Department of Physics with funds for the annual AJ Mione Award for "The Outstanding Cadet in Physics Research," one of the major awards given by the department each year.   Colonel Mione's influence and contributions during the formative years of the Academy will be felt for generations to come. To borrow from the immortal words of Sir Isaac Newton more than 300 years ago: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." The "I" refers to all of us privileged to follow in Colonel Mione's footsteps, as he was and always will be considered a giant in the annals of the Academy and the United States Air Force. We know the entire Academy community shares in the Mione family's loss.

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