Howard J. Douglass

HEUVELTON - Funeral services with full military honors for Howard J. Douglass, 86, of Rensselaer Street, Heuvelton, will be held on Saturday (July 31, 2010) at 10 a.m. at the Fox & Murray Funeral Home. Burial will be at the convenience of the family.

Mr. Douglass passed away at his home on Monday (July 26, 2010).

Surviving is his wife, Mary Lou; two sons, Steve Douglass of Methuen, Mass., and David Douglass of Brockton, Mass.; a daughter, Carol Douglass and her husband James Allen of Garfield, Ark.; a brother, Richard Douglass of Syracuse; and several nieces, nephews and friends.

Mr. Douglass was predeceased by an infant sister, Dorothy Mae Douglass; a brother, Raymond Douglass; two daughters-in-law, Susan and Sandy Douglass; and a sister-in-law, Joyce Douglass.

Howard was born on Jan. 13, 1924 in Syracuse, N.Y., a son of the late Howard C. and Hilda (Obergfel) Douglass. After high school he entered the U.S. Air Force from 1942 to 1946 as a Navigator. He then attended Syracuse University where he obtained a Masters degree in education.

In 1951 he was recalled into active duty and served as a Major until 1956. While still active in the Air Force reserves he enrolled at Purdue University to receive his doctorate degree in Psychology while working as a teacher and research assistant in the mathematics and psychology departments.

In 1958 he began his long employment with the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a faculty member and also operated a private practice as a psychologist.

His many publications, reviews and editorials during his career have appeared in the Journal of College Science Teaching, Journal of Engineering Education, Transactional Analysis Journal, Industrial and Business Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Proceedings of the 77th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association and the Journal of College Science Teaching.

As service to the RPI University, he served on 51 committees with the Social Science and Psychology Departments. He held administration positions as a Director of Personnel Testing Laboratory, Member and Faculty Council, Graduation Marshall, Speaker's Bureau, and Workshop Leader.

He was also Rensselaer Union Leader, Core Curriculum Advisor, Social Psychology, Major and Minors program advisor, a Correspondent to NYS Psychological Association, Representative to the NYS Education Commission Task Force on Professional Education, and Hudson-Mohawk Consortium Course Evaluator, Graduate Student Advisor, Ombudsman, Dept Degree Clearance Officer and Transfer Credit Evaluator.

He also performed several consulting activities for General Electric Company, Electronics Associates, Air Reduction Company, Lamson Corp, Berkshire Life Insurance, IBM Corporation, Monongahela Connecting Railroad, Star Textile and Research, Inc, GAF Corp, Consulting Examiner for Department of Civil Service and Discussion Leader for Commission on Human Rights and editor for the TAJ Journal and an educator at Russell Sage College before retirement in 1991.

He enjoyed skiing, sailing and spending time with his family.

Memorial contributions have been requested to the American Heart Association. Online condolences can also be made to the family at www.foxandmurrayfuneralhome.com.