Board Member Made TMC a Better Place

Texas Medical Center Board of Directors member Paul N. Howell died Aug. 31 after a lengthy battle with bone marrow cancer.

Born in 1918 in Gulfport, Miss., Mr. Howell was a 30-year resident of Houston.

After graduating in 1941 with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University, he became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. He survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and later, the sinking of his ship in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May of 1942. In 1969, he was promoted to Rear Admiral in the Naval Reserve, and in 1996 was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Navy's highest civilian honor.

Mr. Howell volunteered much of his time to support a variety of projects. Since 1976, he served on the Texas Medical Center Board of Directors, and was a member of the Building and Lands, and Forward Planning Committees.

In a Houston Chronicle interview, Richard J.V. Johnson, Chronicle chairman, who worked with Mr. Howell on the TMC board, said Paul Howell was greatly admired.

"He was a hard worker, a good man," Johnson said.

Dr. Richard E. Wainerdi, Texas Medical Center president and CEO, said the Texas Medical Center has lost one of its principal leaders, friends and supporters. "Paul was generous to all projects he supported," Dr. Wainerdi said. "He gave unstintingly of his time and advice, and worked to make the Texas Medical Center a better place for all."

"I've known and admired Paul Howell for many years," said Paul Gervais Bell, a fellow TMC board member. "He and I shared an interest in contributing to both St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and the Texas Medical Center, and he was an outstanding contributing member of the TMC Building and Lands Committee."

Another organization gaining Mr. Howell's focus was the Texas Department of Corrections. There, he treasured the time he spent teaching life skills to prisoners. "It was one of the most meaningful things he had in his life," Mr. Howell's wife, Evelyn, told the Houston Chronicle.

During his illness, Mr. Howell received care at both The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center. He had a long history of philanthropic activity, financially supporting many TMC institutional programs, including leukemia research at M. D. Anderson.

John J. Lynch, chief executive officer at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and executive vice president of St. Luke's Episcopal Health System, said Mr. Howell served two different terms, for a total of seven years, on the St. Luke's board. "He was a dedicated trustee, and served on the St. Luke's Executive Committee," Lynch said.

O. Holcombe Crosswell, the current vice chairman of the Texas Medical Center board, said Mr. Howell asked the tough questions when no one else would. "For many years, Paul Howell was an integral part of the TMC board," Crosswell said. "He was respected for his honesty and forthrightness and will be missed not only by the TMC board, but by other institutions as well."

He was a published author of four books, including "Our Democracy's Game" in 1984. He was also listed in "Who's Who in America," and as vice president of Hemisfair '68, was instrumental in bringing the World's Fair to San Antonio.

Mr. Howell's business interests included serving as chief executive officer of Howell Corp., an energy company publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, co-chairman of Yalbac Ranch and Cattle Company in Belize, Central America, and as a director of Lodestar Logistics Corp. in Houston.

Mr. Howell is survived by his wife, Evelyn; sons Steven and Bradley of Houston, Douglas of San Antonio, and David of Alexandria, Va., and their wives; and 15 grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be directed to St. John the Divine Episcopal Parish, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, Texas 77019; the Nimitz Foundation at the National Museum of the Pacific War, P.O. Box 777, Fredricksburg, Texas 78624; The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center, 1905 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas 77030; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas 77030; or the Haiti Education Fund, 1804 West Block, El Dorado, Arkansas 71730.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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