In 1987, the Air Force Senior NCO Academy at Maxwell AFB named a student dormitory after Esther Blake, honoring her legacy as the Air Force's first enlisted woman.
In 1987, nearly forty years after her historic enlistment and roughly eight years after her death, the United States Air Force honored Esther McGowin Blake by naming a student dormitory in her memory at the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
This tribute served as a lasting institutional recognition of Blake's pioneering role as the first enlisted woman in the United States Air Force. The Senior NCO Academy, a premier institution for developing the Air Force's most experienced non-commissioned officers, chose to commemorate her by ensuring that generations of airmen and airwomen who passed through its halls would be reminded of her contribution to breaking gender barriers within the military.
Naming a dormitory after Blake was emblematic of a broader movement within the U.S. Armed Forces during the 1980s to recognize and celebrate the historical contributions of women, at a time when women's roles in the military continued to expand, including into combat support and eventually combat positions. The building stands as a physical reminder of the sacrifices and achievements of the women who paved the way, with Blake often cited alongside other trailblazing servicewomen in histories of the Air Force. Her name, permanently attached to a training facility for future Air Force leaders, ensures her legacy continues to inspire new generations of military personnel, both men and women.