Biography

Corporal Preston W. Towne was born in Providence, Rhode Island on 4 February 1896.  He was the son of Herbert Duane Towne and Mabel Arnold Briggs. He entered Rhode Island State College (RISC) in September 1915 with the class of 1919. Preston majored in Applied Science.  He attended RISC for two years and was active in Beta Phi fraternity and participated in the Army ROTC Program while a student.

When the United States entered World War I, there were 562 male students enrolled at Rhode Island State College; 334 left to serve in WW I. Preston, like so many of his classmates, departed college before he graduated and enlisted in the United States Army.  He was assigned to the Coast Artillery.  While performing his duties, he became ill and was hospitalized at Fort Washington, Maryland.  On 4 October 1918, Corporal Preston W. Towne died from the Spanish Influenza.

A military funeral was held in October 1918 at Pocasset Cemetery, Cranston, Rhode Island.  Corporal Preston W. Towne, US Army, answered the call to serve his nation with courage and honor during World War I.