Ray Ackerman

Rear Admiral Raymond B. Ackerman is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose first military experience was with the Citizens Military Training Corps (CMTC). He enlisted in the Naval reserve following the Pearl Harbor attack, being called to active duty shortly afterwards, and was commissioned as an ensign in 1943. Completing flight training the following year, he became a LTJG as a fighter pilot.

Moving to Oklahoma City following the war, he moved up through the years in the Naval Reserve to the rank of Rear Admiral, while at the same time becoming one of the most active community leaders in the city. He served both locally and nationally in military reserve activities, including the national presidency of the Naval Reserve Association, a 15,000-member group. In 1971 the Secretary of the Navy awarded him the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, the Navy's highest award.