A Methodist Minister's son born in Forsythe Mont, in 1899, Graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University; Bloomington, IL. Was an Engineer for Bell Telephone Co. Formed Illinois Blueprint Co. which then became Howard Company Lithographers and founded Howard Aviation all in Peoria, IL. Was President of NAPL(National Association of Photo Lithographer) Obtained Pilots License in July of 1941. Became a distributer of Navion aircraft for North American Aviation for three states; in 1946 or 1947. Was a personal friend of Bud Hoover.
In his early days he was also a musician playing in many different bands and teaching Glen Grey (the band leader) how to play the Saxophone. In his later years into his 80s he was a glider pilot and owned his own glider. In Carefree Arizona he built Spanish Village (one of his real estate ventures) and a street there is named after him. He lived to be 99;but wanted to live to be 100(So that he could be like the one horse shay that fell apart after a hundred years and a day. He also helped get Mt. Hawley Airport built in Peoria, Illinois and initially operated it. He was a tough little guy that put it together all by himself.