By Deborah Heldt Cordone
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Bolling Fortson Douglas (1926- 2016), a marine surveyor by trade, became the first female District Commodore (Seventh District) in 1979.
She originally joined the Auxiliary in 1960, founded a Flotilla in Augusta, Georgia, and was well-respected for her high standards in operations and other fields.
Commodore Douglas made many significant contributions while serving in the Auxiliary, including organizing the deployment of Auxiliary personnel and assets in "Operation Key Ring" as part of the 1980 Cuban Refugee Sealift.
In 1978, Douglas and her crew were awarded the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Plaque of Merit for pulling a burning boat away from the University Yacht Club fuel dock and releasing it only minutes before it exploded.
In 1984, she became the first female Auxiliary Qualification Examiner. During more than two decades, she traveled throughout District Seven and successfully trained and qualified hundreds of boat crew and coxswain candidates.
Douglas had many other accomplishments in her life.
She was a boat captain and trained in celestial navigation. She was also the first female accredited by the National Association of Marine Surveyors. During the summer Olympics in 1996, she was the senior marina safety expert for the sailing venue in Savannah.
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