Ronald Jackson Hays is a retired United States Navy four star admiral who served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1983 to 1985; and as Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Command from 1985 to 1988. Admiral Hays grew up in Urania, Louisiana, a sawmill town which was owned "lock, stock, and barrel" by the Q.T. Hardtner family. In high school, "Happy" Hays worked as the butcher's assistant in the company store. There, Mr. Hardtner took notice and succeeded in gaining a U.S Naval Academy congressional appointment for "Happy." Hays graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1950 and served on a destroyer for one year prior to commencing flight training. After a series of operational aviation assignments, including a tour as an experimental test pilot and two combat tours in Vietnam flying the all weather attack A-6A Intruder, he was ordered in 1969 to the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., for duty on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. Between 1969 and 1988 his career path was divided between fleet aviation assignments and resource management positions in the Pentagon. During this period significant assignments included: 

August 19th, 1928 in Urania (Age 96)