Just a reminder that there are still good people in this world.
Posted on 07/24/2005 6:41:04 PM PDT by Southack
You won't find his name on buildings or bridges or hospital wings. Not yet anyway.
But Ron Howard, whose annual salary hovered around $55,000 when he retired in 1996, is leaving the kind of philanthropic legacy that typically comes from deeper pockets.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, have their names on five $20,000 scholarship endowments that support education students at the University of Alabama, Ron's alma mater.
At the University of Mississippi, where Elizabeth earned an education degree, they've endowed a $10,000 scholarship fund to aid students in the Honors College.
And at Samford University, where Elizabeth received her master's degree, the Howards are midway toward funding a $15,000 scholarship endowment supporting the children of preachers and missionaries.
And they - meaning primarily Ron ("I mostly just go along with what he does," Elizabeth says) - also donate money, materials and services to an ever-expanding list of nonprofit organizations in the city, the state and beyond.
"Ron is one of the few people who regularly finds things we're interested in and donates them to the museum," says Wayne Novy, collections manager for the Southern Museum of Flight. "He finds stuff we didn't even know existed."
When the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute put together an exhibit on President John F. Kennedy, Howard found and donated the original Dallas newspapers reporting the assassination. He similarly gives to the Confederate Park in Marbury, where site director Bill Rambo marvels at Howard's dedication and ingenuity.
"There are so many ways this guy's helped us," Rambo says. "He's given us money. He's filled the museum. He even fixes our computers. I keep wearing out 'thank you,' and I named our cannon after his wife. I don't know how else to show our appreciation."
'I'm basically poor'
Howard, a history and Civil War buff, goes to thrift stores and yard sales, and often eBay, to find the treasures he donates.
"I'm basically poor," he says, turning his empty pockets inside out. "I drive a 1987 Dodge Diplomat. We live in a three-bedroom split level. I don't buy a lot of clothes and stuff. I'd rather put my money in this. I want to make a difference."
Elizabeth, a retired teacher, says her husband often goes overboard in his giving. "If you say you need a particular thing, he'll get you 100. He means well. That's just the way he is."
The Howards, originally from Mississippi, moved to Birmingham in 1971 when BellSouth transferred Ron from Jackson. He got involved with the Telephone Pioneers, a volunteer group of phone company employees who do community service projects.
Ron repaired talking books for the blind and then began looking for other ways to make a contribution. He talked the phone company into letting him salvage thousands of discarded reels of data tape, which Howard donated to area colleges and universities. He got permission to divert an old mainframe computer bound for the dump to UA.
Company perk
By then, Howard the philanthropist was up and running. After graduating from the University of Alabama's College of Continuing Education in 1981, Ron wanted to help other adults finish the program. A scholarship endowment would require a minimum of $20,000, he learned.
At the time, BellSouth donated $2 for every $1 an employee gave to charity, so Howard was able to fund the endowment with just less than $7,000 of his own money. The phone company paid the rest.
When Howard retired from BellSouth in 1996, he planned to begin a second career in computer networking. But a trip to the doctor's office landed him in the hospital, where he had surgery for colon cancer.
That news reignited Howard's desire to be remembered through his good works and contributions. But first, he had seven straight days of chemotherapy. "The day I got home from the hospital, there was a thank-you note in the mail to me and my wife from the lady who received our first scholarship," he recalls.
"She told us her stepson had leukemia and it had drained them financially. She was looking at having to drop out of school when she got our scholarship. I thought, `This must be a sign.'"
As soon as his health stabilized, Ron, with Elizabeth's support, began endowing the first of four more UA scholarships, using matching dollars from BellSouth, from his alumni association and from other sources. The five endowments today total almost $120,000. Each awards one or two $1,200 scholarships per year, depending on investment performance.
"Ron's been able to do some great things with limited income," says Bill Elrod, director of advancement for UA's College of Continuing Studies. "He's an example of how anyone, if they want something bad enough, can find a way to make things happen."
Doing what he can
Although Howard's cancer is in remission, chemotherapy seems to have permanently altered the way he lives. His hands have a slight palsy, and he sometimes stutters. At least one day a week, he stays in bed, overcome with fatigue.
This summer, he's been home alone, as Elizabeth, recently retired from the Birmingham school system, teaches a math course at the University of Southern Mississippi. The couple, now living on their pensions, are still paying off their children's college expenses and have to watch their pennies.
"I'll continue teaching part-time until I get my Social Security," Elizabeth says. "Ron doesn't like to spend. We'll go for the senior citizen's special at the Golden Corral. When we go down to Biloxi to check on his mother, I'll play the penny slots and he'll eat fish."
Why do without to help others?
"Because I'm a wonderful person," Howard says. "Just kidding. Really, when I thought I was going to die, that gives you a sense of urgency. You need to do this stuff while you can."
E-mail: kkemp@bhamnews.com
Just a reminder that there are still good people in this world.
Man, that guy is an angel.
thanks for the heartwarming post !
Thanks for the ping about this wonderful couple!
Thanks for an inspiring post.
(((MISSISSIPPI PING)))
May I be permitted a small "roll tide!" after reading this article?
Excellent story.
Small letters only and don't make a habit of it.
I knew Opie would turn out to be a good guy in the end :>)
Can I use capital letters after we beat MSU?
A blessing to read.
Mr. Howard is indeed a wonderful human being.
Can I use capital letters after we beat MSU?
Beat State and you can use large and bold font!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
ROLL TIDE!
Hubby finished his degree via the U OF A College of Continuing Studies. (External Degree Program) I'll have to show him this article.
Did I ever tell you my brother graduated from State? So did most of my high school friends who actually went to college.
Did I ever tell you my brother graduated from State? So did most of my high school friends who actually went to college.
Well Bless their hearts... Southern style
Heh. I don't think it hurt 'em any monetarily to go to a cow college. :) I never figured out why they all chose State. Unless it was scholarship $$$$$$$$. Bless their hearts indeed!
Roll Tide!
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