Joseph "Joe" Potter Davies, Jr., was born in 1923 and joined the Army Air Corps in 1943. After finishing training as World War II ended, he continued his military career, married Audria "Audie" in 1949, and they had four children: Jane, Joe III, Marilyn, and Diana. In 1962, he moved his family to Palmdale to serve as commander of Plant 42 and remained chief of the aeronautics manufacturing plant until 1967, when he was called to serve in the Vietnam War. After returning to the states, he was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado, where he completed the last of his 32 years in the military, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1973 and moving back to Palmdale. He made multiple contributions to the Antelope Valley and to the aerospace and aeronautical industries, served three terms on the Palmdale City Council and on various civic and charitable boards and commissions, and was a highly loved and respected member of the community. He said his time in the Antelope Valley was the happiest of his life and that his job at Plant 42 was the best job he ever had. He died on September 7, 2016, six weeks after his wife Audie.