At UND speech, Col. Timothy Curry says resolve, reflection key for effective leadership

Sep. 14—GRAND FORKS — Chronicling more than two decades of service in the United States Air Force, retired Col. Tim Curry delivered a lecture to UND faculty and students on Wednesday, encouraging attendees to be strong in the face of adversity and to celebrate success with humility.

The speech — held at UND's Memorial Union — was part of the university's 18:83 lecture series, with each speaker timed to speak for 18 minutes and 83 seconds. The number coincides with UND's founding year.

In June, Curry retired as commander of Grand Forks Air Force Base and the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, succeeded by Col. Timothy Monroe. In his role as wing commander, Curry oversaw a team of more than 4,000 personnel stationed in North Dakota, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Guam and California.

Curry said his leadership philosophy was heavily shaped by his mother's approach to dealing with conflict and hardship.

"She would walk over to me, wrap her arms around me and say things like 'how are you doing? You're going to be OK, and you're going to make it through this,'" he said. "Then she'd encourage me to spend a little time on my own. When she'd return to me, we talked about what was going on. Then at the end of our conversation — probably like great leaders have done with you — she'd look at me and say 'You know what? You can do tough things. You're a Curry, and Currys can do tough things.'"

Just prior to assuming command of Grand Forks Air Base in 2021, Curry's mother died. He said she relayed an aphorism contained in "The Fables of Pilpay," an Indian work of philosophy, to further guide his leadership — "there is no gathering of roses without being pricked by thorns."

"This is kind of like leadership," Curry said. "It is awesome. It is inspiring. It brings you joy, confidence, excitement and wonder. And yet, it is thorny. It is painful at times."

Curry's leadership journey began as a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy. Although he said the environment at the academy was supportive, he still faced his share of challenges.

"My freshman year is when I experienced my first really tough time — I broke my back," he said. "If you're going to the Air Force Academy, you have to be physically fit. And if you're me and you're recruited to play football, then it does something to your ego. But due to my hard work, and more importantly, the people around me and great leaders, they helped me get back on the field. I made a full recovery, and became an All-American."

During Curry's junior year at the academy, he lost his father. He said he struggled academically, and contemplated leaving, but his professor and academic advisers convinced him to stay.

"They said 'I have an idea that this is your path, and you should be here,'" Curry said. "They told me 'you can change your major, and you can pursue this, and I think you'll make it through. I've watched you.' And that's what I did."

Curry has two major pieces of advice: check your ego, and engage to impact.

He cited the experience of the Tuskegee Airmen — the first Black pilots in U.S. military history — as an example of the importance of following this advice. The force was renowned for its ability to protect bombers from German fighter planes during World War II, and also known by its nickname "the red tails," due to the airmen painting the tails of their P-47 aircraft red.

"Think about this for a moment — you are sure and confident you can make it through training," Curry said. "But nobody else thinks you will. Then you make it through and do so well that people are requesting you during World War II — there was not a bomber out there who wanted to go into harm's way without the red tails. Maybe at that point, you have a little reason to beat your chest and say 'look how good I am.' The Tuskegee Airmen never did that. It was about more than them or their race. It was about all of you in here."

Curry also encouraged attendees to practice self-reflection, which he says shapes core values.

"Self-reflection makes us understand who we are and what makes us tick," he said. "I think there's honestly no better place for you guys to do a little bit of self-reflection than right here. Integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. Those have been my core values my entire adult life. Can I say I lived them perfectly every single day? No. But that's what I've aspired to be, and that's what self-reflection can do for you."

Curry ended his speech by emphasizing that the journey to leadership often takes unexpected turns.

"We started this journey back in the 1990s, and you guys heard me talk about a professor that helped keep me on the path that led me to talk to you," he said. "That professor was (current UND President) Andy Armacost. Interesting how leadership works. I have a teammate for life who first met me when I was 18 years old."