Ray was born in 1913 in
Winnsboro, Texas, and was raised primarily in Oklahoma. She moved frequently around the state due to her father's job in the newspaper business. She graduated from high school in
Mangum, Oklahoma and attended
Oklahoma College for Women for a year. In 1934 she earned a journalism degree from the
University of Oklahoma. After graduation, Ray worked for a newspaper in
Anadarko, Oklahoma. She was later recruited by the War Department, where she served in the Public Relations Bureau. In 1942, Ray joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later the
Women's Army Corps) and completed Officer Training School at
Fort Des Moines, Iowa. She had brief assignments at the training center at Daytona Beach and at the WAAC Headquarters in
the Pentagon before being transferred overseas in June 1943. Ray was stationed at the headquarters of
Dwight D. Eisenhower in
Algiers, Algeria. In January 1944, she was appointed commander of a WAC intelligence squadron at 15th Air Force Headquarters in
Bari, Italy. She returned to the U.S. in late 1945 and was assigned to the inactive reserve. On May 10, 1949, Ray was reactivated in the
Women in the Air Force (WAF) and sent to
Mitchel Field, New York, where she commanded female troops then worked in personnel and public relations. In 1950, she also attended Armed Forces Informational School at
Carlisle Barracks. From 1953 to 1955, Ray served as deputy director of WAF. From 1955 to 1958, Ray was assigned to
DACOWITS as executive secretary for the advisory committee. She then became chief of the promotion and augmentation/selection records branch of
Strategic Air Command at
Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. In September 1961, Ray was appointed director of WAF and served in this capacity until her retirement in 1965. ==References==