Damon, Ralph Shepard
(06 July 1897–04 January 1956)
- Roger D. Launius
Extract
Damon, Ralph Shepard (06 July 1897–04 January 1956), airline executive, was born in Franklin, New Hampshire, the son of William Cotton Damon, a successful businessman, and Effie Ives. Damon earned a B.A. from Harvard University in 1918. He had planned to become an astronomer, but World War I first interrupted and then changed his plans. In the summer of 1918 he entered the U.S. Army Air Service and trained as a pilot. Although he saw no action in the war, when Damon mustered out of service in 1919 he sought employment in the infant aviation industry. Unsuccessful for a time, he worked in the construction industry. In 1922 he married Harriet Dudley Holcombe, and they eventually had four children....
