Milton W. Howe *70

At age 81, Milt died of Parkinson’s disease Sept. 3, 2023, in Santa Cruz, Calif.

Born July 6, 1942, in San Francisco, Milt came to Princeton in 1965 after earning a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He studied sedimentology with Professor F.B. Van Houton *41 and earned a Ph.D. in 1970 with a dissertation on the Tertiary sediments in Colombia. 

After Princeton, he joined Gulf Oil and worked out of Jakarta in New Guinea. After leaving Gulf, Milt joined British Petroleum Alaska in its San Francisco office. He worked for BP for several years in both London and Dallas, where he was chief geologist for BP’s North American operations. 

Milt left BP in 1988 and moved to Santa Cruz, where he had built a home. He developed interests in skiing, woodwork, wine-making, and viniculture. At Princeton, Milt and his wife, Nancy, formed lifelong friendships with Eric Luttrell *68 and Bob Handfield *70 and their wives. The six of them managed to get together no matter where their careers took them.

Milt is survived by Nancy; son Noel; daughter Romeny; and four grandsons. Milt’s daughter Dani predeceased him in 2004.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.