Birth: August 5, 1930 in (Wayne County) Detroit, Michigan.

Death: December 16, 2006 (Lee County) Fort Myers, Florida.

United States Navy Admiral. He joined the Naval Reserve in 1948, was commissioned an ensign and became an aviator in 1953. As a wing commander combat pilot, he successfully flew more than 240 combat missions over Vietnam in 1967. In 1972, his first command of a ship was as Captain of the USS Cleveland that participated in minesweeping operations in Haiphong Harbor in North Vietnam. His next command was the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, as led Carrier Air Group 3 in Alameda and he was in charge of the 35-ship 7th Fleet battle force in the Indian Ocean from 1979 to 1981. He commanded the U.S. 7th Fleet during the Iranian hostage crisis and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1977, Vice Admiral in 1984 and retired from the Navy in August 1986, as an upper Vice Admiral. He did not attend the Naval Academy but went on to achieve a three-star ranking, an unusual accomplishment without Academy credentials. He died from Alzheimer's disease. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)