Gerald "Jud" Ray was dedicated to family and country. Jud was born October 31, 1916 in Queens Junction, Pennsylvania to Ida and John Ray. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps, flying A-36 dive bombers during WWII in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism. He returned to the U.S. and taught P-40s and P-51s at Thomasville, Georgia until the war ended. His plane, the Virginia Clipper, was named for his great love, Virginia DeWolf Ray. Jud and Virginia raised four boys—Philip, Stephen, Thomas, and John—in Greenville, Texas where Jud worked as a director for what would become E-Systems and then Raytheon. He passed away on June 16, 2004.