Fred McCray

Fred McCray graduated from G.W. Carver Elementary School in 1959 and J.H. Rowe High School in 1963. After high school, Fred enlisted in the military and after basic training at Fort Polk, started his post high school education at the Medical Field Services School at Fort Sam Houston Brooke Army Medical Center where he studied pharmacology. While in the military, Fred worked as a Pharmacy Specialist at in- country military hospitals located at Fort Dix, New Jersey, Fort McArthur, California and Fort Carson, Colorado. He also worked in military hospital pharmacies on foreign assignments in Seoul, South Korea and Saigon, South Vietnam. 

After six years in the military (honorably discharged), Fred went to work for RCA in Colorado Springs (Military Contract) as logistics specialist for the Distant Early Warning System (DEW LINE) for enemy aircraft. The DEW LINE was a system of four (4) radar stations that stretched across the North American Continent from Canada over the “Ice Cap” in Greenland to Iceland and was intended to provide advance warning of approaching enemy aircraft to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) during the cold war. Fred was based at Sondrestrom Air base in Greenland and visited all four radar stations. He lived on the “Ice Cap” for two months. 

While working, he continued his educational pursuits under the GI Bill studying business management at Pikes Peak College in Colorado Springs. He returned to Texas in 1976 and gained employment at Park Plaza Hospital pharmacy in the Houston Medical Center for three years. He continued to study at San Jacinto College and the University of Houston Clear Lake where he completed his professional student status studies in business management with a concentration in finance. 

In 1979, Fred was hired by Exxon and for twenty-one (21) years worked in various positions that included: process operations; process division safety coordinator; process division training design and development coordinator; facilitator for situational awareness, incident command, diversity and managing the business training programs. He retired in 2000 from ExxonMobil Downstream Refining as Operations Supervisor.

Fred is married to the former Carolyn Elaine Mangram of Pittsburg, Texas and they have two sons LaMarcus and Christian and two grandsons Braylen Anthony and Bryson Andrew.