Obituary of Arthur Howe

Arthur Howe, Jr., aged 93, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2014, at his home in Essex, CT, following a brief illness. His devoted wife of 70 years, Margaret ("Peggy") Burke Howe, plus many other family members, were at his bedside providing loving care and attention during the preceding weeks. He is also survived by his four children, Margie Emmons, of Yarmouth, ME, Sam Howe, of Andover, MA, Arthur Howe, III, of Ipswich, MA, and Tom Howe, of Gilmanton, NH, by his brother, Richard Howe, of Gardiner, WA, by ten grandchildren, and by five great-grandchildren. Three of his siblings, Alice Austin, Harold Howe, II, and Sydney Howe, predeceased him, as did his second daughter, Louise Howe, who died in 1954 at the age of two. He devoted his life to his family, advocating for world peace, educational opportunity, social and economic justice, and service to others, and enjoying the outdoors, all in keeping with values held dear by his forebears. He felt privileged for all the people, places, and activities he enjoyed during his full life, and remained especially grateful to his ancestors for all that they made possible for him. Armed with a powerful intellect, broad experience, passion for service, and tireless pen, Mr. Howe was a relentless agent of change. Mr. Howe was born on July 19, 1921, in Watertown, CT, one of five children of Margaret Armstrong Howe and Arthur Howe. He spent some of his childhood years in Hampton, VA, where his father had become President of what is now called Hampton University. That institution was founded in 1868 by Mr. Howe's maternal grandfather, Gen. Samuel Chapman Armstrong, who led African American troops during the Civil War and then founded the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute to provide vocational and educational opportunities for African and Native Americans. Mr. Howe's childhood exposure to racism and segregation laws while in Virginia shaped significantly his later, life's work promoting equal educational opportunities especially across racial lines. Mr. Howe attended the Hotchkiss School (Class of 1938), spent a post-graduate year at The Rugby School, in England, and earned a B.A. in Education from Yale University (Class of 1943, with actual degree earned in 1947). Hampton Institute awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1965. During World War II, he served with the American Field Service (AFS), a field ambulance corps, rising to the rank of Major in the British 8th Army by the age of 22. Subsequently King George VI awarded him the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his "unusual skill and devotion to duty." Mr. Howe taught at the Hotchkiss School during the late 1940's, and in 1969 earned the school's highest honor, the Alumni Award, given annually in recognition of outstanding service to others. Decades earlier, his father had received the same award. In 1951, Mr. Howe accepted a job at Yale in admissions and scholarship programs. By 1956, he had become Yale's Dean of Admissions and Student Appointments. In that role, he downplayed reliance on SAT scores and grades and increased the school's use of other information indicative of an applicant's character and potential, such as input from trusted college placement advisors. He diversified the student body racially, and was an early, controversial advocate, starting in 1956, for the admission of undergraduate women, who arrived 12 years later. He also initiated Yale's Summer High School Program, an experimental project for educationally deprived high school students with exceptional potential. Following World War II, Mr. Howe volunteered for AFS and was instrumental in the organization's evolution into the international student exchange program that it is today. In 1949 he began service on its Board of Directors, and then in 1952 became its volunteer Vice-President. In 1965 he assumed the hired position as its President. For the next seven years, he brought greater professionalism and stability of operations to the organization, and oversaw its expansion resulting in some 13,000 student exchanges in 60 countries each year. Later, as a Life Trustee and volunteer, he helped gain U.S. Army veterans' status for eligible AFS drivers, resulting in medical care and other benefits getting to needy drivers and their families. He saw AFS as a vehicle for enabling responsible global citizens to work for peace and understanding in a diverse world. Mr. Howe served on the Boards of many educational, religious, civic, and conservation organizations, including: Hampton Institute (including Chair of its Board), the Hotchkiss School, the Pomfret School, the Foote School, New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the College Entrance Examination Board, the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Advancement of Education, the State of Connecticut's Review and Evaluation Board for Connecticut Higher Education, The Institute of World Affairs, the Kate Macy Ladd Foundation, the Lyme and Essex [CT] Volunteer Fire Departments, the Lyme Zoning and Planning Commission, the Lyme Land Conservation Trust (including Presidency of its Board), the Lyme Congregational Church, the First Congregational Church of Ivoryton [CT], the Chocorua Island [Squam Lake, NH] Chapel Association (including Presidency of its Board), the CT Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, and Landmark Volunteers. He also brought his wisdom in race relations, education, and corporate responsibility to the Board rooms of the following corporations: the Riegel Textile Company, Riegel Paper Company, St. Joe Minerals Corporation, and Rexham Corporation. Of special note, he served for about four decades as a director, and 17 years as President, of Rockywold-Deephaven Camps, a family owned business on Squam Lake, NH, where he had deep family ties. There, he initiated key changes resulting in improved water quality of the Lake, reduction of high-speed boating, establishment of a pension plan for staff, and diversification of ownership of the corporation. One of his favorite traditions, over some 60 or so years, was joining the Camps' maintenance crew each January in the harvesting of 3,400 cakes of ice from the Lake for later, summertime use, a practice which continues to this day. Squam Lake is where Mr. Howe first met his beloved wife 91 years continued... 1 2 Next ...continued ago, and remains their spirits' home. Love of the outdoors was a lifelong pursuit. He especially enjoyed fishing and canoe trips with his wife, other family members, and friends. Flowing water was essential to his wellbeing. He became an expert fisherman in the Lower Connecticut River and Long Island Sound, loved to guide family and friends, and was locally famous for his smoked bluefish pate. Mr. Howe loved telling stories, and had a keen sense of humor. There will be two memorial services: 2pm, Saturday, January 10th, at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, CT; and 3:30pm, Saturday, August 8th at the Chocorua Island Chapel, on Squam Lake, in Holderness, NH, with a private interment ceremony at the Trinity Church, in nearby Plymouth, to follow. Residents of Essex Meadows, the retirement community where he lived, are welcomed to attend a ceremony of remembrance and celebration at 4pm, Friday, January 9th, in Hamilton Hall. Mr. Howe's family invites anyone wishing to share a testimonial to provide the same to Mr. Howe's granddaughter Beth Lowenstein, at: 56 Fawn Run, Yarmouth, ME, 04096, or bethlowenstein@gmail.com. All submissions must be in writing, digital or hardcopy, and no more than 150 words. In lieu of flowers, please give to the charity of your choice in memory of Arthur Howe, Jr. To share a memory of Arthur or send a condolence to his family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements by Robinson, Wright, & Weymer Funeral Home, Centerbrook. Previous 1 2