Boston Globe Obituary July 14, 2008

Jack Howard; MIT Professor guided by both Science; Faith

As tilling the soil of a Kentucky tobacco farm as a child gave way to cultivating the fields of chemical engineering at MIT as an adult, Jack B.Howard kept sight of the source of his good fortune." He felt that everything that had happened to him his whole life was a gift, a gift from God," Carolyn Howard said of her husband, who never felt compelled to choose, as many do, between science and religion. "The spiritual side of him was something that was extremely important to him. He was a devout Christian and it was really, really important to him that we express to people our Christianity."

A man of science and a man of faith, Dr. Howard walked an improbable path from a farmhouse with a dirt floor to founding Nano-C, a biotech company for which he also chaired the board of directors. He died of brain cancer on July 7 in the MIT Infirmary, a short walk from the buildings where he had taught and conducted research. Dr. Howard was 70 and had lived in Winchester for 35 years. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he arrived as a Ford Foundation fellow for postdoctoral research in 1965, Dr. Howard was the first to hold the Hoyt C. Hottel chair of chemical engineering. Retiring as professor emeritus in 2002, he founded Nano-C, a Westwood firm that develops nanostructured carbon products, including fullerenes, carbon molecules that have a shape similar to the geodesic domes popularized by Buckminster Fuller. From Fuller the molecules draw their name -Buckminsterfullerenes, or buckyballs for short.

Decades ago before discovering a way to more efficiently manufacture microscopic buckyballs, which are expected to have pharmaceutical andindustrial uses, Dr. Howard's first experiments were more basic."His father let each of the children have their own crop," his wife said,"and he grew watermelons."

Born in Kentucky, just north of the Tennessee border, Dr. Howard lived on a farm outside Tompkinsville, a city of about 2,600. While he was growing up, the farmhouse accumulated modern amenities, his wife said, but initially it was "a very simple abode - no running water, no electricity, no telephones, and a dirt floor. And they only went to school October to April because it was farm country. You had harvest in the fall and plant in the spring." Through eighth grade, Dr. Howard attended a one-room schoolhouse, and he didn't take his first science class until enrolling at the University of Kentucky. He majored in mining engineering and graduated in 1960, then finished a master's in the same subject a year later. Offered scholarships to Penn State and Stanford universities, he chose the former because it was closer to home, and graduated with a doctorate in 1965.

At MIT, he rose to full professor and was one of the specialists consulted for the Globe's "How and Why" feature, answering questions from readers on subjects ranging from the heat of flames to why many people lick the tip of a pencil before writing. "If the lead were truly graphite, then wetting it would probably not make a difference," he told the Globe in 1993, but in pencil lead "the graphite is actually a mix of graphite and some clays. My observation is that wetting the pencil allows you to get a darker line. There's a softening of the material, some absorption of moisture into pore spaces that makes a mix that will rub off more easily."Such musings were a small part of his scientific output, which included many patents and scores of publications. In 1992, he was awarded the Bernard Lewis Gold Medal from the Combustion Institute, an international, nonprofit scientific organization based in Pittsburgh for which he served as a director."This thing was on a shelf in a cabinet," his wife said of the medal. "All of his awards were."

Of more importance was family. He married Carolyn Butler in January 1969 and they had two children. Despite the demands of work, he set aside time to read to his children each evening. "Even though he rose to the pinnacle of academia, he always was home for supper, unless he was traveling," his wife said. "And we never were allowed to answer the phone during dinner. It was truly family time." Dr. Howard's family members kept a blog during his illness, charting the medical journey and the sustenance he and his wife took in their faith.

"Even until the very end, my dad appreciated all things symmetrical,orderly, and mathematic," his son, Jonathan, of Somerville, wrote on July 7."He died today at 70 years old, at 11:05 a.m. (1 + 1 + 5 = 7) on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year."Since boyhood on the farm, Dr. Howard had loved the sound of rain in the evening, which signaled a respite from certain chores the following day. "I like to think that at this moment he is on a farm somewhere beyond our consciousness, serenaded at night by a gentle rain on a tin roof," his son wrote the day Dr. Howard died, "and in the morning will be working heavenly soil with his brother and his dad, a family slowly reuniting in a place more perfect than this one."

In addition to his wife and son, Dr. Howard leaves a daughter, Courtenay, of Winchester; his mother, Opal, of Lexington, Ky.; two sisters, Myra Bushong and Bess Abney, both of Lexington, Ky.; and a brother, Keith, of Cookeville,Tenn. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Park Street Church in Boston. A private burial will be held in Skaggs Creek Cemetery, not far from the farm where Dr. Howard grew up.

Condolences from Howard Franklin - a former Jack PhD student

Dear Carolyn, Courtney, and Jonathan,

My deepest condolences on Prof. Howard’s passing. I was a doctoral student and post-doc of his between 1977 and 1981.

Prof. Howard was a wonderful teacher, supervisor, and human being. He did me personal kindnesses that made a major difference to my life and my career. He was warm, kind, funny, gentle, and a very great pleasure to work for and with. I actually did not select my PhD thesis topic, I first selected him as the supervisor I really wanted to work for and then selected whatever he was working on as my thesis topic. I have had many reasons over the years to be thankful for my choice.

May your family know of no more sorrows.

Howard Franklin

Letter from Combustion Institute - organization that Jack was very actively involved

The Combustion Institute
5001 Baum Boulevard, Suite 635
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-1851 USA
Telephone: (412)687-1366 Fax: (412)687-0340
Email: office@combustioninstitute.org
July 13th, 2008
Carolyn Howard
24 Central St
Winchester, MA 01890-2630
USA

Jack B. Howard – In Memoriam

With the passing of Jack Howard, the Combustion institute has lost one of its greats. Jack gave us so much by way of original research, teaching, and service to our community

Jack’s work in coal and other carbons, ranging from soot to fullerene, stands out for its breadth and depth. He provided insights into the processing of coal to produce gases and liquids that were at the forefront in the 1970’s and 1980’s and still today have special significance as the world grapples with the problem of energy supply, in which coal will continue to play a major role. Similarly, his work on active sites in carbon reactions set the scene for much of the work that has followed. His studies of fullerenes from combustion sources changed the way we thought about soot and provided the basis not only for much future work, but also for Jack’s ‘post-retirement’ business activities in nanocarbons.

Jack gave generously of his time and wise counsel to promoting the interests of the Institute and the community it represents, including being a Board Member from 1994-2006. He was accorded every scientific honour and responsibility that our Institute can bestow:

 Symposium Program Chair, 19th Symposium, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel in 1982.
 Silver Medal, at the 20th Symposium, University of Michigan (1984), for the paper with Jim Bittner entitled "Mechanisms of hydrocarbon decay in fuel-rich secondary reaction zones."
 Bernard Lewis Gold Medal, at the 24th Symposium, University of Sydney "for the kinetics of soot formation and coal pyrolysis".
 Symposium plenary lecture: 23rd Symposium, University of Orléans, France (1992) "Carbon additions and oxidation reactions in heterogeneous combustion and soot formation".
At a personal level, I interacted with Jack when I was at MIT from 1979 to 1981. Our research fields overlapped in part and, while we I did not work directly together, I learned first-hand of his unfailingly gentlemanly nature and scholarly disposition. The hospitality you and Jack showed me and my wife at a time when we were starting our own family has never been forgotten.

The Combustion Institute salutes the life and work of Jack Howard. His contributions were immense and the legacy of his work will endure for many years.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with you and your family at this time.
Brian S. Haynes
President

Condelence from Jeff and Sue Tester, MIT colleague and friend

Dear Carolyn,
Please excuse me for using email for this note. I just learned that Jack's memorial service is scheduled for Wed, July 16th. Unfortunately, neither Sue or I can attend -- I will be on the West coast and Sue is dealing with her aging 94 year old mother. Although we won't be there in person, we certainly will be in spirit as Jack. You both have been wonderful friends and an inspiration to us for the 40 years we have known you. I have never met a person as kind and modest as Jack -- he was as far from the prototypical MIT professor as is humanly possible.

Sue and I send our love and deepest condolences to you and your children during these difficult times.
Affectionately ,
Jeff

Ron and Lois Barndt - a dear couple from our church

Dearest Carolyn,

Our hearts are turned toward the Lord on your behalf as we ask Him to receive Jack into His loving presence where he will at last be at peace and joy, basking in the love of Jesus.

We, of course, pray for you, Courtenay, Jonathan and his wife, and all others who have been so devoted to Jack in caring for him and preparing him for his homegoing. You have seen God work in all of your lives, and are grateful for that, but the ache is still there until you are reunited with your beloved.

May you be borne up on angels' wings during this time, and may the strong arm of God also uphold you and guide you for the days to come.

We love you,
Ron and Lois

Domenica Condolences - our Bible Study partners who recently moved to England

Carolyn,
I am sure that the people whose lives Jack has impacted are surrounding you with their love for you and him. Please accept ours...from a distance. All I can say is, "When is our next Bible Study....when we are all together?" I am sitting here in tears so looking forward to that day when the seven of us are sitting together studying I Cor. 15:51-58!

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Bob and Jane Cohen - MIT Chemical Engineering Dept Professor and wife

Dear Carolyn-
We are so sad and so sorry to hear that Jack has passed on.
You were in a dream I had last night.
We are thinking of you and Jack.
As your niece so beautifully put it, he won the race and he has the prize.
With deepest sympathy and much love-
Jane and Bob