Jerry W. Ayers

AyersJoined United States Air Force in 1960

Ground Electronics classes, Keesler AFB, Mississippi

Radar Maintenance technician, Boston, Mass

OCS Class of 63C, memories include celebrating my 21st birthday as a second classman, the Cuban Missile Crisis meetings, meeting my basic training Drill Instructor while in uniform and watching him come to attention, and falling asleep during the all-night cram session for final test on Morgenthau economics conducted by our Princeton grad (can’t remember name) and then aceing the test by osmosis, I think.

Communication Electronics Tech School, Gulfport Miss

Chief of Maintenance, Communications Squadron, Minot, North Dakota

Communications Staff Officer, Strategic Air Command, Omaha, Nebraska

Retired from Cinergy (Gas and Electrical Utility in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky) in 2002 after a 33-year career as a Transmission and Distribution Operations Manager. Management Positions at Cinergy included Staff Electrical Engineer at Southern Division Headquarter, District Engineer at Martinsville District, Area Engineer at New Castle District, Transmission and Distribution Operations Supervisor at Martinsville District, Shelbyville District Superintendent, and Franklin District Superintendent. As a retiree, I manage some investments, serve as a director of a local nonprofit corporation, play at golf, attend NASCAR Races, and follow Purdue football and basketball.

Although I am currently single, I have a large and growing family that keeps me on my toes. I have lived, and continue to live, a great life.

Although my tenure in the Air Force was relatively short, the experience and education contributed significantly to my later success. The Electrical classes at Keesler gave me the technical background that I needed as I continued my education in electrical engineering. The experience of being responsible for maintaining the hardened intersite cable system and communication equipment associated with a Minuteman Missile wing at Minot made being responsible for constructing, maintaining, and operating a Transmission and Distribution Electrical System seem pretty simple. Although a teaming class early on at Purdue cured my military management style, I sometimes found that style to be productive in some situations.