The first class of the Air Force Academy arrived at Lowry Air Force in Denver in 1955, with a total of 306 cadets. Young officers from West Point and Annapolis were tasked with training the cadets for three years. The academy was academically demanding, with cadets taking 22 credit hours each semester. The first class also underwent summer field training and training exercises. Cadets were required to remove their neckties when heat reached over 90 degrees, but the commandant changed his mind when they showed their sweat. Cadet Greg Boyington Jr. had to remove his tattoo due to regulations. The Academy’s first valedictorian, Hosmer, studied all scientific fields available during his four years and served as the first Rhodes graduate to serve as superintendent.