Personal: Male. Born in Johnson, Kansas, USA.

Farrar grew up in impoverished conditions in western Kansas during the dust bowl years. He received degrees in electrical engineering and business administration from Kansas State University in 1948. He worked at the US Army Signal Corps Electronic Warfare Center from 1953 to 1955, overseeing its move from New Jersey to Arizona. Fagan worked for Hughes in Tucson on their Falcon air-to-air missile program in 1955-1956. He was then hired by Convair for the Atlas ICBM program, eventually becoming a Test Conductor for the rocket's static tests at Edwards. He advanced within Convair San Diego to Assistant Project Engineer for Atlas Ground Systems; Project Engineer for the Atlas F-series missiles; Project Manager for the Advanced Ballistic Re-entry System; Factory Manager, Electronics. He was Vice President of Operation of General Dynamics' Stromberg Carlson Division in Rochester, New York from 1971-1977; and Director of Product Support for the F-111 and F-16 aircraft at General Dynamics, Fort Worth from 1977-1978. Farrar then joined Sanders Associates in New Hampshire, eventually becoming Group President and Corporate Senior Vice President until his retirement in December 1986.