Herbert Noel Hardy Sr. was born in Pitt County in 1894.
He began his working career at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company as a buyer. He progressed to supervisor of leaf tobacco buyers, general leaf supervisor, and general manager of the leaf department.
He was elected a director of the company in 1945, and was made a vice president in 1949. Since October 1958 he was chairman of the executive committee of the board. Hardy also supervised the foreign leaf operations of the company.
Hardy retired from Reynolds in 1959, and he passed away in 1973.
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
