Obituary of Clarence Edwin Howard, Jr.

Clarence Edwin Howard Jr Born March 17, 1920 in Lansing to Clarence and Nina (Bennett) Howard (who died in 1925). Attended eight different school systems, following his salesman father. Graduated from Ovid High School, 1937, where he played football and basketball. Graduated from Purdue University, 1941, B.S. in engineering. In May, 1941, volunteered for Army service out of Purdue, served in Europe during World War II, leaving after five years with rank of lieutenant colonel. Graduated from Michigan State College, 1949, B.A. in journalism with honor. Master's degree, MSU, 1951, political science. Married Virginia Demuth in Owosso, January 1946, son, Rudy. Married Alma Louise Eva in Detroit, April 1952. Sons Gregory, Paul, Bruce and Webster. Married Juliet Graf in Rochester Hills, October 1977. All his wives preceded him in death, as did his parents, grandparents and son Rudy. Gregory, Paul, Bruce and Webster survive, as do step-children Kathryn (Jean) Gosselin and Larry (Susan) Graf, grandchildren Rudy Howard Jr., Allison and Nicholas Howard, step-grandchildren Tracy and Nicole Graf, and great-grandchildren. Worked as reporter, sports editor, copy editor and feature writer for series of publications: Hillsdale Daily News, Mount Clemens Monitor-Leader, Lansing State Journal, Detroit Free Press, and as a reporter and feature writer in United Press' Lansing and Detroit bureaus. Later published Romeo (Mich.) Observer and Great Lakes Business Trends. Promotion director for two record-breaking National Automobile Shows in Detroit, 1960 and 1962, then personnel director and assistant managing director of sponsor, Automobile Manufacturers Assn. President, Howard Communications, publishing and public relations, until retirement. Preceded in death by parents and his beloved step-mother of 50-plus years, Julia (Judy); his grandparents, Edwin and Mary Howard of rural Shiawassee county, and Seth and Mary Bennett of Laingsburg. Close and enthusiastic follower of MSU and Purdue sports. Participated in many years of seminars on history and government at Oxford University as participant in MSU's annual Odyssey to Oxford, as well as University of Michigan seminars in personnel management. Member of American Association for the Advancement of Science, Society of Professional Journalists, Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, Michigan Historical Society, Birmingham (Mich.) Unitarian Church, and life member of MSU Alumni Association. Loves: the day's news, history, astronomy, politics, travel (England, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean islands) and, along the way, studying people's actions, habits, motivations, biases and words spoken and written (in a personal library of hundreds of volumes including dictionaries from Samuel Johnson's to slang to quotations to the latest unabridged). "It was a great ride. Enjoyed almost every minute of it...and hate to leave it all behind."