Dayhoff: Western Maryland Coach Charles W. Havens was a World War II hero

Seventy-nine years ago on Jan. 19, 1945, a newspaper article carried a story about the wartime heroics and bravery of Charles W. Havens. For many years, Havens was a well-respected Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College, athletic director and football coach. He was known by many as the “Father of Recreation in Carroll County;” a recognition confirmed by Baltimore Sun writer Fred Rasmussen in a lengthy article about Havens on May 16, 1996.

According to Rasmussen, Havens died at the age of 92 in May 1996. Over the years Havens wore many hats in the community including leadership in the Westminster Volunteer Fire Department. After retiring from Western Maryland College in 1956, Havens taught for 12 years in Carroll County public schools.

Rasmussen reported that Havens was a 1930 graduate of Western Maryland College who later returned to the school to serve as its athletic director and coach of football, baseball, basketball and boxing, as well as an instructor in physical education and health.

In 1982, Havens was honored as McDaniel College Alumnus of the Year, presented to, “a graduate who is of good character and is held in high esteem by … associates and has brought credit upon him/herself and McDaniel College,” according to the college’s website.

Havens also served as Westminster’s recreation director, a position currently held by Abby Gruber – currently known in the community as the ‘Dean of Recreation and Parks in Carroll County’ – in the tradition of Havens.

Rasmussen wrote that Havens was born and raised in Rome, New York. He “became associated with the [Western Maryland] college in 1926 when he transferred there from Colgate University. He played football from 1926 to 1929 and was named to the All-Maryland football team in 1928.

“The next year, he was captain of the college’s undefeated squad and an honorable mention Associated Press All-American. After graduating in 1930 with a bachelor’s degree in English and history, he played professional football, then joined WMC as assistant football coach in 1931. He was named head coach in 1935. His teams won the state intercollegiate title in 1936 and the Mason-Dixon championship in 1949. WMC was undefeated in 1951.

“After World War II began,” Rasmussen wrote, “Mr. Havens joined the Army Air Corps in 1942. Too old to fly, he became an intelligence officer with the 486th Bomber Group in Sudbury, England. Each day, he parked his jeep at the end of a runway and watched the planes taking off for bombing runs over Germany.”

Rasmussen reports that in a 1986 article in The Evening Sun, Sigurd Jensen, a retired Air Force colonel, said, “Every time we took off, my nose gunner would say, ‘There’s the coach,’ It almost became a good-luck symbol to see him as the last man on the ground as we left and, yes, as the first one there, waiting, when we came back.”

Thanks to research by historian Jay Graybeal for the Historical Society of Carroll County, an article in the Democratic Advocate has been found; titled, “Flyers trapped in burning bomber – Major Charles W. Havens Awarded Soldier’s Medal for Bravery and Heroism in Rescue.”

According to Graybeal, during World War II, “nearly 3,000 local men and women were serving in uniform in military units throughout the world. Some faced constant dangers in frontline combat units while many others served in support roles behind the lines.

“Among the latter group was Major Charles W. [Coach] Havens of Westminster. During the last year of the war, the former athletic director of Western Maryland College was serving in England with the 486th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force. His unit was equipped with B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and was heavily engaged in the daylight bombing of strategic German targets. Their missions were extremely hazardous from start to finish.”

The 1945 newspaper carried a report from “An Eighth Air Force bomber Station, England,” which described, “For bravery and heroism displayed while helping to extricate badly hurt flyers trapped in a burning bomber, Major Charles W. [Coach] Havens, 486th Bomb Group air inspector, has been awarded the Soldier’s Medal.

“One morning early as Major Havens watched silver Forts take off for an attack on a vital Nazi war target, something went amiss. One of the big bombers crashed in a nearby field. Parts of jagged steel filled the air, red flames leaped some twenty-five feet skyward, and the roar resounded. The fire spread rapidly, and many continuous explosions followed. Fifty caliber shells were bursting in mid-air and flying in all directions.

“Fully aware of the dangers involved, Major Havens rushed into the blazing, bomb laden plane. Here he helped to remove three unconscious crewmen.”

In Carroll County we have been blessed by many great folks who have gone before us and remain inextricably interwoven into the fabric of what we are today as a county. People like Coach Havens. I was also blessed to have known Coach Havens in his later years. I have written about him several times in the past. Portions of this discussion have been published before. Positive stories about positive people and their positive effects in Carroll County need to be told over and over again.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. His Time Flies column appears every Sunday. Email him at kevindayhoff@gmail.com.