Charles H. Heinz ’64

Charles, whose nickname at Princeton was Howdy, died Oct. 5, 2020, at his home in Chautauqua, N.Y., looking at the lake and the birds at the feeders, with family surrounding him. He had a long battle with cholangiocarcinoma and Alzheimer’s disease.

Howdy grew up in Pittsburgh and came to Princeton from Andover. He majored in politics and ate at Charter. He roomed with the Gauss House Gang (Kendrick, Huxley, Hussong, James, and Peterson). Among other activities, Howdy participated in one of Princeton’s greatest pranks, the “Great Train Robbery” on Houseparties Weekend our junior year, using his car to block the train while confederates conducted the “holdup” (i.e., abduction of weekend dates).

He earned an MPA at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and then worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In the late ’70s he and his family moved to Chautauqua, where he worked as a real-estate developer in Chautauqua Institution. In 1993 he became Chautauqua’s first vice president for administrative and community services.

Howdy was a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers season ticket holder and attended every home game for 51 years, even after moving to Chautauqua. He also enjoyed sailing on beautiful Chautauqua Lake.

He is survived by his wife, Wendy; their daughter Sandra and her husband, Rand; son Charles E. and his wife, Mia; grandchildren Chase, Kate, and Sofia; sister Lisa; and several nieces and nephews.