School, with his name, now 75 Family reflects on legacy of pilot Russell Dougherty

By Patty Miller

“Once an eagle always an eagle” remains true today for students passing through the doors of Russell Dougherty Elementary School.

The school was named for the first Edmond fatality during World War II, Russell Dougherty.

Late last year his family, including his sister Jo Ann Dougherty Compton, 93, from Bedford, Texas, and her friend since elementary school, Barbara Walker, attended celebratory ceremonies marking the 75th birthday of the school and the man for whom the school was named.

Many of Russell’s family were also in attendance for the celebration including his grandson, Chris Dougherty, and his four children, Kyra Dougherty, Julia Dougherty, Ian Dougherty, and Michael Dougherty.

Russell’s parents, Martha Suenram and Joe Dougherty, were married Feb 3, 1915, and raised their family of four children on farm land located at the corner of Pennsylvania and 150th streets where Epworth Villa is now located.

“When I was born, Margaret was 13, Russell was 11, and Hazel was 9,” Jo Ann said. “I was reared more as an only child. I remember being a bit envious of my older brother and sisters good times and neighbor friends.”

An uncle made a big wooden sleigh that was pulled by one of their farm horses. In the fall, they had neighborhood hay rides. Regular Saturday night entertainment was dances at a neighbor’s farm.

“We went to these regularly because my dad was a square dance caller and Margaret was the party planner,” Jo Ann said.

“We had card parties, tacky parties, kid parties, taffy pulls, and holiday dinners with Dougherty and Suenram families.”

Margaret was the family writer and poet as well as Jo Ann’s kindergarten teacher.

Hazel was the family artist, baker, candy maker and seamstress.

After two years of college Russell decided to go to diesel school in Oklahoma City. He bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle for cheap transportation.

“He would take it apart, work on it, and put it back together,” Jo Ann said.

She added the kitchen porch was strewn with his pans of oil, grease cans, rags and various parts that needed to be worked on in his spare time.

“He wanted to know how things worked and how they were assembled,” Jo Ann said.

Russell and the two older children helped with the farm chores growing up, Jo Ann added, while she remembers playing with paper dolls.

She said Russell did not like doing chores, especially milking the cows.

“ I tagged along with him when he had to milk the cows,” Jo Ann said. “I knew he did not like this chore, so I thought by my going with him it would make the time go faster.”

Russell liked playing with his Erector set and Tinkertoys he got one Christmas, and he made a Merry-goround and Ferris wheel for Jo-Ann’s dolls.

“He taught me how to play cards and other games,” Jo Ann said, “and one Christmas he got me a woodburning set and made sure I could use it without burning myself.”

As Russell grew older he was also known for playing pranks according to one of the stories shared by the Edmond School District.

Russell and a friend would go to Oklahoma City and stand on a street corner looking up to the tops of buildings. Soon others would stop and look up at nothing. The boys would then be on their way laughing.

When Russell started his last semester at Central in the fall of 1941, Jo Ann and her mother moved to Edmond to take care of her Grandfather Suenram. Russell joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in February 1941 and received his wings July 1942 in Lubbock.

At that time he married Winifred Hoffman. She was with him in the places where he did overseas flight training. He was stationed in Hawaii first and later went to Guadalcanal. Russell was killed April 19, 1943. Their son, Russell Chris Dougherty, was born June 28, 1943.

Jo Ann met her husband Charles Compton at Central. Both Jo Ann and Charles chose teaching as their career paths. Together they had four children Charles, Carol, Curtis and Connie.

Jo Ann was a stay at home mom but also served as the church secretary.

“This day is such a wonderful tribute for Russell and his family,” JoAnn said.

A look back at the famed late pilot

The elementary school located at 16th and N. Broadway first opened its doors in as a junior high. and in 1947 it was dedicated and named Russell Dougherty Elementary School.

The school bears his name to honor the first graduate of Edmond High School to be killed during World War II, and it was dedicated to him three and a half years after his death.

The school’s namesake was a native of Edmond and an Air Corps bomber pilot. He was awarded the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters for missions in the Pacific during World War II. His unit was the 307th Bomb Group known as the “Lone Rangers.” He was stationed in Guadalcanal when he and 11 crewmen crashed with a heavy bomb load in the B-24 over the Solomon Islands in April of 1943. Dougherty was 24.