Ross M. Harrington (1917-1957)

Biography

Ross Morris Harrington was born on April 14, 1917, in Cozad, Nebraska. On March 21, 1942, Harrington married his wife, Maxine Marie Harrington, and they had two children: Ronald and Stephen. He served in the U.S. Navy until his honorable discharge in 1946, and afterwards, he worked for Lockheed Aircraft in Los Angeles, California. In 1948, he began his U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) career as a maintenance worker at Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. During his 10 years with the Service, Harrington also worked at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge in California, and his final station was Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Washington state, where he dutifully served until his death.

Cause of Death

On May 28, 1957, Harrington died in an accident that occurred while he was bulldozing in a hillside above a newly cut road grade at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. The blade of his International TD-9 bulldozer hit solid rock, which caused the bulldozer to slip sideways and roll down to the road grade about 8 feet below. Harrington was crushed beneath the bulldozer.

Sources

• Anglin, Ron. “Re: Heritage Committee Web Site.” Received by Mark Madison, 11 June 1999. 
• “Maxine Marie Harrington” The Wenatchee World, 20 May 2008
• “Narrative Report January—April 1948” Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 1948.
• “Ross Morris Harrington.” Find A Grave

Key Fields

Born 1917, Died 1957, Age 40, Male, Maintenance Worker, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Washington state, Bulldozer (Vehicle), Crushed, Navy, Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California