When the Killingworth Ambulance Association celebrated its 50th anniversary in October, 2021, it also celebrated one of its founders, Don McDougall. A volunteer who in 1971 helped form an ambulance association that transported patients in a used ’64 Cadillac, McDougall was a guest of honor that evening — treated to a standing ovation, state citation and a two-tiered cake.
But that wasn’t why he was lauded. Then 87, McDougall was still an active member of the KAA, sitting on its board of directors, which meant … you guessed it: He, too, was celebrating his 50th anniversary.
“Fifty years?” said Charlie Smith, the KAA’s first president. “That’s got to be some kind of record for continuous and faithful service.”
If so, how fitting that it’s McDougall who holds it.
An active EMT until he was 80, he was also the town’s Emergency Operations Manager, working at an EOC office he occupied for 25 years,organizer of the town’s Community Emergency Response Team and recipient of the 2012 American Red Cross Community Hero award. He taught the KAA’s CPR course for 30 years, served on its board of directors for what he estimated as 47 years and didn’t step down until 2023, or after 51 years, eight months and five days of service to the organization.
Unusual? More like extraordinary. But age never defined Don McDougall. A former assistant scout leader with the Boy Scouts, he hiked the 273-mile Long Trail, a path that runs the length of Vermont … and did it three times.
“Why?” he once said. “Because I can, I guess. If you can’t do anything, what are living for.?”
Don McDougall did everything … until he couldn’t. He passed away last Friday evening after a brief convalescence at Aaron Manor in Chester, with the KAA dressed in mourning bunting shortly after it was notified.
McDougall was 92, and if you didn’t know of him before you will now … mostly because four of his friends and/or colleagues are here to recall what made Don McDougall so uncommon. These are their stories.
CHARLIE SMITH, long-time friend and KAA founder and first president
“Don was a true patriot – a humble guy who did not seek the spotlight even though he was that ‘spotlight.’ He was not only a KAA board member but an EMT, ambulance ‘driver/attendant’ in our early days and an advocate for superior emergency medicine. Plus, the Boy Scouts he led here in Killingworth are forever indebted to him for his exemplary leadership. He was the Lions’ Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 2003, and that honor speaks for itself. My friend may be gone, but he will never be forgotten … and I’m proud to submit these few words on behalf of him.”
DAVE GROSS, hiking companion
“Don McDougall was a soft-spoken unpretentious prince of a man. He selflessly helped others first and never sought praise or recognition of any kind. An avid hiker with the Scouts, Don accompanied a small group to Baxter State Park in Maine in 2006 for the purpose of climbing Mt. Katahdin. He said that he always wanted to add Mt. Katahdin to his long list of mountain ascents and was determined to climb it before he died. From a base camp at Chimney Pond, he and a group of friends reached the summit by early afternoon and returned safely to their base camp by dusk – all, that is, except for one person who had fallen along the rail and suffered a small gash to his forehead. Once at camp, Don examined the injury, wrapped a bandage from his kit around the injured man’s head a few times and declared, ‘We’re all exhausted. He’ll live ‘til morning, and we can clean him up then and make him pretty again.’ The patient lived and only had a minor scar afterward.
“Don was well prepared for life on the trail. He showed us how to make small camp stove out of a tuna fish can and fueled it with a small container of ‘dry gas.’ We would heat up some water and add a packet of freeze-dried rice and beans for dinner. Once, someone suggested that it would taste so much better if we only had some garlic. So, Don quietly went into his pack and produced a small medicine bottle of fresh minced garlic, asking, ‘You mean … like this?’
Don will be sorely missed.
PAT MILLER, friend and KAA colleague“
I’ve known Don for over 40 years, first as a friend and then as a co-worker on the ambulance. He was one of the kindest, most generous, selfless men I have ever met. He was that rare individual who would help anyone if it was in his power, no questions asked. Throughout our many years working on Killingworth Ambulance together he always showed consideration, respect and compassion. We taught countless CPR classes together, and I always looked forward to a class with Don because he had a new story to share with our students, often delivered with Don’s delightful sense of humor. I loved Don’s stories, whether it be ambulance related or how he went to school in a hay wagon as a kid. It didn’t matter. He always had something interesting to share. He was a wonderful human being, and our world is a better place for having him in it. I am so very privileged to have shared a small part of it with him. He taught me much good about life on many fronts. God has called a treasured angel home. He will be greatly missed by the many lives he touched.”
JIM LALLY, long-time friend and KAA colleague
“He had a different personality. He was very strong-willed about his convictions, but he was from Maine and such a dedicated worker that, no matter what the conditions were, he was always there to pick up the slack and carry things forward. Even if he was tired, he always kept things going. There was a tremendous moral conviction about him, with a dedication that was unbelievable. He had that steady flow and kept it going. He worked at his job, then would be there at KAA board meetings to give us advice. And he wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed. He was big into Boy Scouting, and he was big into outdoor stuff. Yet, he was always there for the ambulance. I know he worked hard at his job and with the ambulance, but in his spare time he’d often take Dave Gross and some guys up to Maine and go hiking … and you have to remember: Don was no spring chicken. Yet Dave would always tell me: ‘He set the pace.’ And it’s that and his unwavering dedication that I remember most about Don. He was one of a kind.”