Hare, William S.

Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1864, William S. Hare was raised on a farm and educated at the Morgantown Academy. After earning a teaching certificate at age twenty, he taught school in West Virginia and Kansas before moving west in the 1890s to pursue farming and lumbering across Oregon and northern California. In 1906, Hare joined the Standard Oil Company as a third fireman at Vernalis Station, where his diligent self-study and hard work laid the foundation for a successful career in pipeline engineering.

In 1911, Hare was appointed engineer at the Mendota Pumping Station in Fresno County, ultimately rising to chief engineer following years of dedicated service with the company. Married in 1888 to Pennsylvania native Jane Brock, with whom he had one daughter, Gail, Hare earned broad respect across the region as a self-made engineer, capable manager, and patriotic, independent-minded citizen.