W. James Howard ’53

IF EVER THERE WERE a Baltimore blue blood, it was Jimmy Howard, who died July 2, 1994, after a long bout with emphysema. Jimmy was descended from Revolutionary War hero John Eager Howard, who became governor of Maryland and later served in the U.S. Senate. But ancestry was never on Jimmy's mind. Conservation was. As classmate, best man at his wedding, godfather to his oldest child, and pallbearer at his funeral, Sandy Lambert said: "Jimmy was always a crusader in the environmental movement and more specifically, in keeping Green Spring Valley green, Jimmy gave over 100 acres to the Maryland Envi­ronmental Trust so that future generations could enjoy the land in its natural beauty,

He was born in Baltimore, the son of Dr. John E. Howard '24. Jimmy was a lifelong rider and owner of hunters and jumpers. He prepared at Gilman. At Princeton, he majored in history and was a member of Colonial Club, along with roommates Lambert, 1978-83 Class President Gordie Beaham, and Mike Whimey. After graduation, he served in the army and became a real-estate executive in Baltimore. Surviving this kind, caring gentleman are a daugh­ter, Mary Greenwood; a son Stephan Sheldon, and a sister, Lucy.