Stephen Maddox PHS ISD Hall of Fame Recipient 2025-2026

       Steve was born to Raymond and Bernice Maddox in 1947 at Worley Hospital in               Pampa, TX. His Dad farmed and ranched near Miami and then Claude before                 moving to the Grandview community South of Pampa in 1954. Steve attended                 Grandview Elementary School through the 7th grade and then junior high and high         school in Pampa. High School activities were limited to normal school hours as               Steve was required to ride the bus both ways. When he asked his dad if he could           tryout for football, the answer was an emphatic “No!” There was always work to be         done when he got home from school.

Steve went to Texas A&M University where he majored in the Corps of Cadets and Air Force ROTC while earning a degree in Agricultural Economics. His first year he was recognized as the outstanding freshman for his squadron. He worked hard to rescue his GPA his sophomore year and was rewarded with a full ROTC scholarship for his junior and senior years. He served as operations sergeant on the Corp Staff and was a member of the elite Ross Volunteers his junior year. His senior year he served as Commander, Squadron Five and proudly wore his senior boots every single day. In addition to the academic load, Steve earned his FAA Pilot’s license and participated in numerous campus activities. He was one of three Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduates in his class and received his Regular Commission May 24,1969 as a 2nd Lieutenant, US Air Force.

A short ten days after graduation, Steve entered Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training at Randolph AFB, San Antonio, TX. Pilot training was an intense one-year program of academic classes and learning to fly the T-37 and T-38. I the midst of this challenge, Steve found time to court and marry Rose, his wife for life. The class started with 65 students, but only 38 completed the program and earned the coveted pilot wings. Steve graduated 5th in his class with an OV-10 assignment to Viet Nam as a Forward Air Controller (FAC). Ader pilot training graduation in June, 1970, Steve completed gunnery training in the AT-33 at Cannon AFB, NM and OV10 FAC training at Hurlburt Field, FL. In February, 1971 he arrived in Viet Nam where he was attached to the US Army 196th Brigade, 23rd Division at Chu Lai and later at Da Nang. Ader 6 months FAC experience, he volunteered and was selected to go to Laos as a Raven FAC flying the O-1 in civilian clothes. After over 1,000 hours of combat time and several close calls, he returned in March, 1972 to fly as a T-38 instructor at Reese AFB, Lubbock, TX.

Following four exciting years of teaching students to master the high-performance jet known affectionately as the “white rocket”, Steve helped pack up Rose and their two girls for a C-141 assignment to Charleston AFB, SC. This turned out to be a very rewarding career move as Steve progressed rapidly from Co-Pilot to Aircraft Commander, to Instructor and then Flight Examiner including airdrop qualification. The mission involved being gone from home flying cargo and troops literally all over the world. After three years, Rose and the girls voted unanimously to return to instructor duty where dad could be home a little more. The family was a bit disappointed by 1980 Del Rio, TX, but military families learn to make the best of any situation. Steve was a T-37 Instructor Pilot, but he progressed after only a year to be the Chief of Wing Standardization and Evaluation where he quickly upgraded to T-38 Flight Examiner. By this time Steve had been promoted from Captain to Major and this was the ideal job on the base for his rank and experience. In 1982 he moved on to spend a year out of the cockpit as a student at Air Command and Staff College where he graduated in the top third of the class. This was followed by a return to the T-38 and an Air Training Command (ATC) headquarters staff job back at Randolph AFB in San Antonio.

It was really nice for the family to have three pleasant years to look forward to with good schools for our two girls. About half-way through this tour, Steve, as a new Lieutenant Colonel, was selected for another “dream job” as Operations Officer for the T-38 Pilot Instructor Squadron at Randolph. This assignment was one of the best flying jobs in the Air Force and Steve would have stayed longer, but after an exciting year and a half it was back to Reese AFB in Lubbock as the Student Squadron Commander. This job still included flying the T-38, but the work was largely care and feeding of the student pilots, academic classroom training, community relations with Lubbock, and making student graduation ceremonies a very big production. Steve seldom stayed in any job very long, so after a year and a half, he progressed to Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations. Ader another year the Wing Commander selected Steve to leave the flying he loved and do something very different as Deputy Commander for Resource Management. This job was a whole new world with responsibility for functions like base supply, transportation, accounting and finance, and contracting. This was also a full colonel position, which led Steve’s final promotion to Colonel. He also served a year as Deputy Base Commander and gained valuable experience in several other base support functions. Meanwhile, this tour in Lubbock had extended to five years which allowed both daughters to graduate from Lubbock High School, a family event seldom achieved in a military career.

Now with both daughters enrolled in college at Texas A&M, Steve and Rose were off to jolly old England in June 1991 for yet another adventure. The assignment was to RAF Upper Heyford, UK which is located in charming countryside near Oxford. Steve started out as the Deputy Commander for Resource Management, but soon became the Logistics Group Commander due to an Air Force reorganization. This job included command responsibility for 1,500 people organized in five squadrons. He was responsible for the maintenance of 86 F-111 aircraft as well as base supply, transportation and accounting/finance functions. Responsibility also included maintenance and storage of a large number of conventional and nuclear weapons. As if that wasn’t challenge enough, Steve was in charge of the logistics portion of the base drawdown and closure as the US military presence in Europe was significantly reduced. Then in June, 1994 Steve and Rose volunteered for a consecutive overseas tour to Aviano AB, Italy. What a move from living an hour away from London to now living an hour from Venice. Steve was Logistics Director, 16th Air Force staff and then Vice Commander, 16th AF. The job involved a lot of joint planning and exercise with the other services and NATO countries in the region. Steve was gone a lot either onboard a ship with the Navy or in a tent with the Army. It was fun and challenging, but after three years it was time to think about a return to America and mandatory 30-year retirement.

The last assignment was back to Randolph AFB San Antonio as the Director of Safety for all of Air Education and Training Command. The job included aircraft and ground safety mishap investigation and prevention programs. Steve also got to be a T-38 Instructor Pilot again and fly until retirement from the Air Force June 1, 1999. He worked for USAA for three years while building their “forever house” on 30 acres in the hill country near Boerne, TX. Steve stayed busy as a discussion leader for Bible Study Fellowship, and adult Sunday school teacher, church finance committee chairman and church elder for many years. Rose was promoted from Air Force Wife to Mary Kay Director and Steve worked as her business manager until she retired. Steve retired as a Command Pilot with well over 5,000 flying hours. His awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, 14 Air Medals, 2 Legion of Merits, multiple meritorious service and commendation medals. Steve has a master’s degree in Personnel Management from Troy State University and an MBA in Finance from Saint Mary’s University. Steve and Rose have been married 55 years and have two daughters, Stephanie and Jennifer. They also have four granddaughters, one grandson who is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force, and two great grandsons. Steve and Rose now live in a Lubbock retirement community and still have the old farm house South of Pampa.