By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Michael Andrews, a TOPGUN instructor, has reached professional heights — no pun intended — that are worthy of recognition in his hometown.
Next week, a newly formed nonprofit focused on celebrating Rockford excellence will do just that. Andrews, the keynote speaker at the first ever Diamonds signature series event put on by the Founders Commission, is ready to turn the spotlight on others.
“The greater Rockford area produces an abnormally high level of talent compared to the rest of the United States,” Andrews said. “The profession doesn’t matter — whether it’s military, sports entertainment, sports in general, education, fashion design — it runs all gamuts. This area produces a wealth of talent and potential.
“We are trying to shed light on some of that talent to bring some good news stories back to the community, while also cultivating that next generation of talent.”
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Andrews is one of several area natives who have gone on to achieve national success who will participate in the June 15 fundraiser called Diamonds: TOPGUN at Emery Air at the Chicago Rockford International Airport.
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe, a Roscoe native, will emcee the event. Briscoe got her start in television at WREX-13 in Rockford and has anchored ESPN’s flagship program since 2015.
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Briscoe and Andrews made time to speak with local reporters Wednesday before the Founders Commission announced another member of a panel that will speak at the fundraising event. U.S. Navy Captain Deborah Davis McIvy, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy and Rockford native, joins as a featured panelist.
“Words can’t express how honored and thrilled I am to be a part of such a historic event,” Davis, a 1989 Auburn High School graduate who works at the Pentagon, said in a news release. “Diamonds is an absolute gem that will change the trajectory of Rockford’s cultural North Star.”
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Briscoe said showcasing local success stories can also serve as proof for people here to see they can achieve their goals.
“A lot of times if you have a dream and you’re from a small town, people might look at that dream and be like, well, you can’t do that,” Briscoe said. “But if you see somebody who looks like you — you see somebody from where you’re from — whose doing the thing you want to do … if you see it you can believe it.”
The Founders Commission on Wednesday also announced the two beneficiaries it will support with its first fundraising event: the Diamonds Scholar post-secondary youth scholarship program and the Disabled Veterans of America (DAV) Blackhawk Life Chapter 29.
“A critical component of the work we’re doing at the Founders Commission is leveraging success to give back – the Diamonds series is the perfect vehicle for us to do just that,” Nick Povalitis, founder and president of Founders Commission, said in a news release. “Through the Diamonds Scholar youth program and the work that the DAV Blackhawk Life Chapter 29 does locally to support veterans, Diamonds: TOPGUN becomes a much more meaningful experience that we’re thankful to be a part of.”
No need to dispel ‘Top Gun’ myths
Andrews said this will be his first time back in the area since 2020, and the first time he’s traveled here with his wife and children, ages 9 and 6, since 2017.
Real TOPGUN patch-wearers like Andrews strive to uphold its principals of being humble, credible and approachable. TOPGUN instructors like him train the next crop of fighter pilots in air-to-air combat. Is it different than the movie by the same name? Yes, but that’s not something Andrews gets hung up on.
“There’s a huge different between the movie and the actual TOPGUN, in terms of how we operate, but it’s not something that we generally go out and dispel myths — if you will,” he said. “We let our work speak for itself.”
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Andrews and other Top Gun staff had roles in the latest “Top Gun” film, a box office hit starring Tom Cruise that served as a sequel to the 1986 classic.
“Everybody that was on Top Gun’s staff at the time of the filming, essentially got to fly in the movie in the flying scenes,” he said. “Whether it was body doubles or people who actually fly the aircraft tactically in the movie, all of the Top Gun staff is represented in the movie.”
Briscoe, whose parents retired in 2021 to live near her in Connecticut, still has family in Wisconsin she visits.
She said she jumped at the opportunity to return here for the event once Povalitis explained the organization’s goals.
“The people coming out of our area are doing remarkable things, and they deserve to be celebrated,” Briscoe said.
She hopes the Founders Commission can help cultivate the next crop of talent.
“The Rockford area has produced so many talented people,” Briscoe said. “It’s not just successful people who have achieved things in the aviation industry: it’s sports and entertainment, it’s people on Broadway, it’s people in business and manufacturing and industry.”
Know before you go | Diamond: Top Gun
About: Diamonds: Top Gun is a formal attire celebration featuring dinner, live entertainment, keynote speaker Michael Andrews, emcee Nicole Briscoe, interactive panel, cash bar, aircraft displays and other elements.
Where: Emery Air hangar at Chicago Rockford International Airport, 1 Airport Circle, Rockford
Cost: $125 per person
Tickets/info: FoundersCommission.org/
Updates: Follow Founders Commission social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter).
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.