Ray Neag, the youngest of eight children, grew up in Torrington, Conn. He graduated from Torrington High School and attended the UConn-Waterbury campus before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. In 1956, after serving his country, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science at the UConn-Storrs campus. Later, he studied foreign trade from the American Graduate School of International Management and graduated from Harvard University's advanced management program.
Mr. Neag, now retired, was the co-vice chairman and one of four founding members of Arrow International, Inc., of Reading, Penn., a leading manufacturer of cardiac and critical-care products for the medical industry. Although he and his wife Carole continue to live in Pennsylvania, they maintain tight bonds with their families and hometowns in Connecticut.