Obituary of Jewett Douglas Bird, Jr

BIRD, Jewett Douglas (Doug), aged 96, of Basking Ridge. NJ. formerly of Summit. NJ and West Point, NY, passed away Sunday. October 15, 2017 at Fellowship Village. Basking Ridge. Born in Waterbury. CT to the late Jewett Douglas Bird. Sr. and Ella Thomas Bird. Doug retired as the Director of Public Safety, Summit, NJ in l99l after 22 years of service. Like most males of the Greatest Generation, Doug served in WWII. attached to a Special Detachments unit under General Omar Bradley. He rose quickly through the ranks, heading such projects as insuring that escaped downed pilots in Switzerland received food, apprehending American military personnel involved in black market activities, and overseeing fire protection and bomb disposal for the liberated port of Marseilles, France. After the war, Doug worked at various military facilities, and then was asked to head the Fire Service at the United States Military Academy at West Point NY. He was responsible for the Academy grounds, the town of West Point which housed several thousand officers, teachers, and other support staff and 170,000 acres of forests and ranges used in Cadet training He provided leadership to the previously dysfunctional Fire Department, and trained the 300 man 50th Engineer Company to assist in fighting the annual forest fires caused by Cadets training with live ordinance on the ranges. A modest man, it was not until his retirement from West Point that his family learned that he had been awarded several citations for Sustained Excellence in his profession, and a special award for personally rescuing a serviceman whose car had gone through a guardrail on the Storm King Mountain road and plunged several hundred feet down the steep mountain. Thereafter he became the Director of Public Services for the City of Summit, NJ. He was ahead of his time in preparing for the unexpected. He created the Emergency Management program for the city and expanded the concept throughout the state. "What could possibly go wrong?" he would wonder. "and how would the city deal with it?" With surrounding communities" emergency services, he led drills on railroad incidents on the below-grade tack sections, school shootings and lockdowns, toxic substances in the post office, and explosions at the local pharmaceutical manufacturing plant. When 9-1l occurred he had already planned and drilled for the handling of mass casualties. Therefore, hundreds of injured civilians were sent by rail to Summit, where they were treated. When he and his wife moved into Fellowship Village, a retirement community, one of the first things he did after unpacking was to create an Emergency Plan for the Village. He will be remembered for his three loves — God, Country, and family. Throughout his life he was active in church activities at many levels. Married to the late Florence (nee MacArthur) Bird and father of the late Robert Douglas Bird, he is survived by his daughter, Barbara Lee Bird of Paoli, PA Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October l8, 2017 from 4 to 7 pm at Gallaway and Crane Funeral Home, 101 S. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ. The funeral service will be Thursday. October 19, 2017, ll:00 am at the funeral home. Burial will follow at The Fair Mount Cemetery, Chatham. For further information, or to light an online condolence candle for the family please visit gcfuneralhome.com