Boston Globe Submitted Obituary for Jack written by Jonathan

On Monday, July 7, 2008, Jack B. Howard, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Nano-C, Inc. in Westwood, MA, died peacefully at MIT Medical Infirmary in Cambridge, MA after a 10-month struggle with brain cancer. He was 70 years old.

Professor Howard spent 37 years teaching in the Chemical Engineering Department at MIT, where he was also the Director of the Center for Airborne Organics. He was one of nine US scientists on a NASA board tasked to evaluate and select experiments to take place on the space shuttle. Notable awards were two honorary doctorates: Doctoris Honoris Causa, Universite'de Haute-Alsace, Mulhouse, France in 1997; and Doctor of Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 2002. He has over 250 scientific publications and multiple patents.

Several years ago, the Boston Globe featured his work with fullerenes in a Science & Technology article entitled "Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Carbon." Also, throughout his career, the Globe contacted Prof. Howard for their "Ask The Globe" feature with inquiries ranging from the shape of candle flames to the reason Calvin, from the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, was often depicted licking the end of a pencil before writing.

Despite these accomplishments, Prof. Howard was a profoundly patient and humble man, traits honed in his youth on his family's farm in Tompkinsville, KY. He was born in 1937 in a small farm house with a dirt floor. His favorite days were those following rainstorms, as those were the days he wouldn't have to work in the fields. For this reason, until he lost the ability to speak, he would tell his caretakers how much he loved the sound of rain.

Prof. Howard didn't take his first science class until 1956, as a freshman at the University of Kentucky. In spite of this, he excelled in chemistry and physics and was offered scholarships for graduate studies in physics at Stanford, and in fuel technology at Penn State University. Preferring to be close to home, he chose the latter. He graduated with a doctoral degree in Fuel Technology in 1965.

Prof. Howard then joined the MIT Department of Chemical Engineering as a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, teaching first-year students chemical engineering. Being unfamiliar with the material, he had to study the textbooks even harder than his students.
After marrying Carolyn Butler in 1969, the Howard family grew to include two children, Courtenay and Jonathan. Prof. Howard was careful to never let the long hours demanded by his work interfere with the time he spent with his family. Phone calls were not allowed at the dinner table and weekends were often spent walking in the Winchester Fells, where he cultivated in his children the same love for nature and discovery that he enjoyed during his childhood in Kentucky.

For 37 years, Prof. Howard's career flourished at MIT. Buoyed by the support of his brilliant students and colleagues, he received tenure and an endowed Chair. In 1995, Jack was named the first holder of the Hoyt C. Hottel Chair of Chemical Engineering. He was a world-renowned expert in many aspects of combustion engineering.

Imbued with a farmer's sense of dedication, diligence and stamina, Jack began a new endeavor following his retirement from MIT in 2002. He founded Nano-C, Inc., in Westwood, MA, a leading developer of nanostructured carbon materials, including fullerenes, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and their chemical derivatives.

As devoted as he was to his work and family, he was equally so to Biblical study. He attended Park Street Church in Boston every Sunday until his illness left him unable to participate in services. His ability to marry the often opposed fields of science and Christianity were a marvel to all who knew him.

He is survived by his adoring wife, two children and his daughter-in-law, Megan Coleman. He was the beloved son of Opal and the late Hugh Howard; and caring brother of four siblings, Keith Howard, Myra Bushong, Bess Abney and the late Kenny Howard.

His memorial celebration will be held at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, July 16th at Park Street Church, One Park Street, Boston, MA. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. A private burial will take place in Tompkinsville, KY.

For those who wish to make donations in lieu of flowers, they may be made to:

1. The Jack B. Howard Memorial Fund at MIT In-Patient Services, c/o Kathleen Dwyer, MIT Medical Department, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. Monies will go towards providing end-of-life care of the quality Jack was blessed to receive.

2. The University of Kentucky, College of Engineering, 251 Ralph G. Anderson Bldg, Lexington, KY 40506. Monies will be donated to a discretionary fund to help students of need in the Department of Engineering.

3. The Missionary Program at Park Street Church, 1 Park Street, Boston, MA 02108. Monies will be used to support Park Street's missionaries.

Today and always, Jack's friends and family take great comfort that he has passed from this suffering world into Christ's loving embrace.