Huntington Alum John Howell
Passes Away
One of the all-time Blue Devil greats, John Howell has passed away. He was 79 and residing in Huntington, where he graduated from high school as a member of the Class of 1950.
Mr. Howell was nicknamed "Dixie" at Huntington High School where he earned eight varsity athletic letters in football, basketball and baseball. He played in the band for three years and was vice-president of the Boys' Athletic Council as a senior.
The 1950 edition of The Huntingtonian, the high school yearbook, said that Mr. Howell was "Glenn Davis, George Kell and Carl Braun rolled into one." Those three were among the best American athletes at the time.
John Cramer Howell graduated from Huntington High School on Tuesday, June 27, 1950 during an 8:15 p.m. ceremony on Heckscher Field, across the street from the old high school. It was Huntington's 89th annual commencement.
The ceremony included the presentation of prizes and diplomas by Principal Robert L. Simpson (who retired three days later), Superintendent Carl V. Warren and Huntington School Board President Howard H. Olsen.
Valedictorian Nicholas Markoff gave an address titled "Sheathe That Sword." The topic of salutatorian Marion Bloch's address was "Our Civil Liberties."
Mr. Howell leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Jackie, who herself was a top athlete in Huntington's Class of 1950. Then known as Jackie Drohan, she played softball, intramural basketball, volleyball and field hockey, was a member of Student Leaders for three years, a G.O. Class representative as a junior and in the band and orchestra as a sophomore. The pair had been a couple and best friends since they were freshmen.
Mr. Howell is also survived by his son Jay, daughters Debbie and Susie, their spouses and 10 grandchildren. A memorial service was held at the Old First Presbyterian Church on Main Street across the street from the old Huntington High School (now Town Hall) where Mr. Howell once ruled the roost. Behind the church is Heckscher Park, where the Blue Devils played their athletic games during that era.
A Blue Devil baseball legend, Mr. Howell captained the team and starred at third base. He helped make Huntington the class of Suffolk during his high school years and legendary coach Bill Class came to count upon the teenager on the field, at the plate and in the dugout.