Douglas E Harrison
Douglas E. Harrison
1942 ~ 2020
Captain Doug Harrison, age 78, of Little Torch Key, Florida died on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 due to complications from an accidental head injury sustained in October. Doug was born on January 18, 1942 in Baltimore, MD to parents Carl Lee and Rita Marie (Russo) Harrison. His father worked on the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad and during the railroad strikes worked as a plumber. Doug had two older brothers, Donald and Lee, and an older sister Olivia. He was the youngest of the Harrison clan.
Doug grew up in Ellicott City, MD, a suburb of Baltimore located directly west of the inner harbor of Baltimore and adjacent to Catonsville. He graduated from Catonsville High School in 1960. He started an engineering program at the University of Maryland and completed an Engineering Degree (BS) while on active duty as a Naval Aviator. Doug later completed a master’s degree (MS) in paleontology from University of Minnesota while flying the line at Northwest Airlines. He was obviously a self-disciplined fellow who was into completing tasks.
Doug enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Feb. 1961. He was trained as an air traffic controller and Ground Controlled Approach Radar (GCA) specialist and served at NAS Midway Island and NAS Olathe, Kansas. On June 25, 1963 Doug entered the USN Naval Aviation Cadet pilot training program at Pensacola, Florida. On December 17, 1964 he received his Wings of Gold and his USN commission as an Ensign. His next assignment was to Naval Attack Squadron VA-66 (A-4C) at NAS Jacksonville.