Ray C. Fish was born in 1902 to a Rhode Island family of modest means.  His
grandfather had been the captain of a Yankee Clipper sailing South Pacific Trade
Routes in the mid 1800s and was a moving force in stimulating Ray's vision of
opportunities "beyond the horizon."

In his formative years Ray elected work rather than college and went West to work
in the California oil fields after World War I.  As a hard worker and avid reader, he
became wise in the management of men, oil field construction skills, and goal setting
for achieving his objectives.

His professional career was launched in 1927 when he began supervising the
engineering and construction of gasoline and refining plants for J. A. Campbell
Company of Los Angeles, and thereafter was hired by Stearns-Rogers in Denver,
Colorado, to supervise the design and construction of gas pipeline delivery systems
appearing on the horizon as a new industry.

Recognized for his management skills and talent, Stearns appointed Ray to be
Project Director for the design and construction of the first intercontinental gas
pipeline built during World War II for Tennessee Gas Transmission to transport
natural gas from the Gulf Coast to New Jersey.

After the successful completion of this first major pipeline project, "navigation
instincts" inherited from his grandfather gave Ray the insight to see a horizon filled
with pipeline systems carrying low cost energy to major population centers.

In pursuit of this vision he made a career decision in the late 1940s and left Stearns
with a key group of associates to form his own Fish Engineering Corporation in
Houston.

Starting up a new company in competition against giants in the construction field
required Ray's total commitment and use of his keen management skills,
salesmanship and reputation to deliver a project completed "on time, within budget,
and in accordance with specifications."

His success exceeded his goals and expectations.  Within a decade the Fish
Companies engineered and constructed thousands of miles of pipelines and were
responsible for the creation of millions of dollars in new gas utilities around the
country.  He acquired the title of "Mr. Pipeliner" in a thriving transcontinental gas
market, and the people who had trained under him went on to become recognized
industry leaders.

Until his untimely death in 1962, he continued to implement his vision, on an
international scale, of transporting natural gas by pipeline from its remote origins to
urban markets.  Projects he engineered and constructed in the 1950s that are still
operating are: the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline System (Transco), the Pacific
Northwest Pipeline System (later merged into El Paso Natural Gas Company), the
Texas-Illinois Pipeline Company, and the Campo-Duran Project transporting natural
gas from Northern Argentina to Buenos Aires and forming the nucleus of a major
petrochemical complex operating for many years under the name of PASA.

Ray Fish respected the qualities of ambition, knowledge, success, and decency.  He
constantly encouraged his associates and employees to set goals on the "horizons"
and go on to achieve them with boldness and purpose.

In 1957, Ray established the Ray C. Fish Foundation to benefit present and future
generations of Texans by supporting the establishment, operation or advancement
of qualified educational, scientific, and other charitable organizations.