He was born in Hobbs, Maryland, to Charles and Olive Howard, a farmer and rural mail carrier. He loved sports and was selected as Maryland All State Soccer Goalie in High School. He was the first in his family to attend college, receiving Degrees from Western Maryland College, New York University, and Johns Hopkins University.
His professional Career spanned more than six decades, and produced outstanding achievements in the field of electrochemical energy couples for batteries. His patents cover primary and secondary batteries for submarines, aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft that produced higher energy per pound of battery and solved the persistent shelf life problem of previous generations of batteries. His sea water activated emergency radio beacon battery is credited with locating and saving the lives of hundreds of downed fliers during World War II and after. These batteries are now standard in thousands of emergency beacons and rescue kits on civil and military aircraft as well as spacecraft.
He was a gentle man possessing both knowledge and wisdom and having a vision of what the future could and should hold in his area of technology. He and Anna Clough Howard, his wife of 49 years, were the beloved parents of two children Paul L. Howard, Jr. and Carol Howard Elliott. Dr. Howard was a humanitarian who was thankful for the talents that he had been given and shared freely with all whom he met.