ELLSWORTH and DANA POINT, Calif. – Frank H. Howd, 82, geology professor and award-winning photographer, died March 16, 2007, of internal injuries associated with an automobile accident, his family reported, in Mission Viejo, Calif. He was born Dec. 2, 1924, in Delmar, N.Y., to Albert and Helen Howd. Frank was a longtime resident of Orono and Ellsworth, professor of geology at the University of Maine in Orono for 31 years, and winner of numerous local and regional awards for his photography, After serving in the U.S. Navy on a PT boat in the Pacific Basin during World War II, he received his Bachelors of Arts in 1951 and Master of Science in 1953 in geology from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D., also in geology, from Washington State University in 1956. During the 1949 football season, as a 148-pound option halfback, he finished second in the east in total offense to Joe Paterno, then of Brown University. He also co-captained the undefeated 1951 track and field team. He was inducted into the University of Rochester Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. After a short time as an exploration geologist with Kennecott Copper in the late 1950s, he became an assistant professor at the University of Maine in Orono. He eventually taught for 31 years, retiring in 1990. He brought an understanding of the nation’s geology to his students of all disciplines and was most proud of his service as advisor to a generation of undergraduates. He also served for many years as an official at university track and field competitions. In his retirement he was active in the Eastern Maine Camera Club, winning numerous local and New England regional awards for his black and white, color print and slide photography. He sought to capture the beauty of pattern and texture in the natural environment observed during his travels in his backyard as well as around the world. He also enjoyed a life-long love of fishing, something he has passed to many of his grandchildren. He married Barbara Campbell Howd in 1951. She predeceased him in 2000. He is survived by his present wife, Sally Lee Howd of Dana Point, Calif.; his sister, Miriam Halpin of Toms River, N.J.; three sons, Peter of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Stamford, Conn., Thomas of Sudbury, Mass., and Christopher of Sammamish, Wash.; stepsons, Tucker Bierbaum of Santa Rosa, Calif., Robert Bierbaum of San Clemente, Calif., and Brad Bierbaum of San Clemente, Calif.; and 17 grandchildren. A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. April 28, at The Church of Universal Fellowship, 82 Main St., Orono, with the Rev. Lorna Stuart presiding. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts directed to either the Frank Howd Scholarship Fund, Eastern Maine Camera Club, care of Vice President Sally Arata, 1290 State St., Veazie, ME 04401 or to the Frenchman Bay Conservancy – Tidal Falls Fund, P.O. Box 150, Hancock, ME 04640.
FRANK H. HOWD
