Ray H. Siegfried II graduated from the University of Notre Dame and was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and held command positions in Korea with the Mechanized Infantry Brigade. He left the family insurance business and purchased NORDAM, one of the most successful and prestigious aerospace and defense industry companies in the world, from a small bankrupt company with only eight employees in 1969. He took NORDAM to more than $11 million in sales, 300 employees, doubled the size of its facilities in less than 10 years. In 1983, NORDAM was recognized as the world’s largest independent aircraft repair station and secured a $25-million dollar contract with a firm in China—it was the largest contract ever signed with an American firm. Today, the company includes over 2,300 employees and is known for its technological breakthroughs, holding 92 trademarks and patents. Siegfried also had a passion for the ocean and was a founding director of the Tulsa Aquarium where his family sponsored the aquarium's largest and most publicly viewed Shark Exhibit. In 2003, he was one of five individuals who received the NBAA First Century of Flight Award for their significant contributions to the advancement of aviation since the advent of powered flight for 100 years.