Daughter of Carl Ferris, owner of Ferris Aerospace, Carol grew up a spoiled brat in the lap of luxury. Her first taste of terror was when she witnessed the tragic death of Martin Jordan when his Ferris-owned plane went crashing to the ground. Jordan's son, Hal, was next to her when it happened. Little did she know that that boy would become a very important part of her life.

Even before her father's retirement, Carol always played an important role in Ferris's management. This became a problem when young pilot Hal Jordan would pull dangerous stunts in his test jet to get her attention. She hated when he did that, mostly because it got her attention. They indulged in an unprofessional romantic relationship for some time. They would rarely stay together for more than a year at a time, as they got into many fights over Hal's inability to commit to the relationship.

Another complication in their romance was the meddling of the aliens known as the Zamarons, who persisted in possessing Carol with their own source of power, the Star Sapphire, forcing them to do battle. Hal would free her time and time again. However, they were split up when Hal went off the radar, presumably for good, when he sacrificed his life to re-ignite the sun. During his absence, she married another man in an attempt to move on.

Hal Jordan, of course, refused to stay out of her life, dead or not. Hal returned to life and sought her out, but they chose not to interrupt her marriage. However, while Hal was a Prisoner of War in a terrorist camp for four months, she got a divorce. When Hal returned, she "forgot" to mention it, preferring to toy with him for a bit.