LT C.W. Harold Douglass- You Should Know His Story

LT C.W. Harold Douglass is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a military veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story – one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

In 1916, Douglass graduated from New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University, where he was heavily involved in his academia and extra-curricular activities. He was the editor of the Daily Orange and of the Empire Forester, the official publication of the College of Forestry, and served as an associate staff of the Onondagan. Douglass was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon, Pi Delta Upsilon, Tau Theta Upsilon and Alpha Xi Sigma fraternities. He was also a member of the senior council.

Upon graduation, he was hired by H. H. Franklin Company as an Assistant Advertising Manager. After a year, he moved to Washington in pursuit of a position as assistant editor of American Forestry. Soon after his move to Washington, the United States entered into World War I, and Douglass enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Assigned to an American aviation section in France, LT Douglass became part of the elite Royal Flying Corps (RFC) with the task of directing and observing artillery fire and undertaking photographic reconnaissance.

On June 11, 1918, Lieutenant Douglass was killed in action when his plane fell behind German lines. He left his base on a scouting trip over “No man’s land”, where he flew over German lines and never returned. The specifics of Lieutenant Douglass fate are still unknown. The RFC was still new at the time of LT Douglass death. Having been established six years earlier, it was still in its experimental stage of arming aircraft, and the rate of fatal accidents was still very high. Because of his bravery during his time of service, Lieutenant Douglass won the admiration of his British and French comrades, as a Royal Flying Corps member.

The Douglass Memorial, designed by fellow classmate Hollis J. Howe and erected by his graduating class of 1916, is a tablet placed in the rotunda at the New York State College of Environmental Science and Forestry, honoring his life, career, and service to the nation.

C.W. Harold Douglass is an alumnus of Syracuse University and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.