Obituary
Dr. David Roger Howard
David Roger Howard entered a new stage of life on February 19, 2016. He is now fishing, golfing, hiking, taking in the mountain air, and eating lots of spicy foods. He is sharing his love of music with David Bowie and Glen Frye while keeping busy trading jokes with John Belushi.
David was born in Phoenix, AZ, on September 26, 1961. He was the third and youngest child of Walter “Crusty” Howard and Cathern “Pat” Neithercutt. David moved to Las Vegas, NV, when he was 12, following the death of his parents. His sister, Lee, raised him, loved him, and played a huge part in making him the wonderful person he became. He graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1979 and earned his undergraduate degree from Occidental College (Pasadena, CA) in 1983. In the summer of 1988, while working on his Ph.D. in Riverside, CA, David met Yoo Mee Lee. They married a year later then moved to Atlanta, GA, so David could complete post-doctorate work at the Emory University School of Medicine. Their son Nicholas was born in Columbia, MO, in 1996 while David was an assistant professor of Biology at Truman State University. The family moved to La Crosse in 1999, when he joined the Biology Department at UWL.
From 1999-2015, if you saw a professor in a bright Hawaiian shirt at UWL’s Cowley Hall, there was a very good chance it was David. David was a talented cell biologist and microscopist. He was also an exceptional collaborator, who often dropped everything to help a colleague or student who came to his office for assistance. David was a pioneer in active-learning and inquiry-based teaching, and he worked to revamp the Cell Biology lecture and laboratory course from the moment he stepped on campus. Weaved throughout his masterful lectures were clever demonstrations, humorous anecdotes, science fiction references, and possibly a classic rock lyric or two. David was a leader in the Biology Department, serving as Chair from 2009-2013 and as assessment coordinator. Moreover, he successfully guided curricular changes that have had long-lasting and notable benefits for the Department. David was particularly instrumental in the redesign of numerous core biology courses, in the implementation of writing across the curriculum, and in the development of the microscopy facilities within the department. However, this partial list of professional accomplishments does not begin to convey the care and attention to excellence that David demonstrated in his teaching, his interest in and thoughtful mentoring of students, the warmth and humanity that he shared with everyone, and the humility with which he lived.
We would like to thank the medical staff at the La Crosse Mayo Clinic for the excellent care they have given David over the years. A special thank you to the Cancer Center staff and the Gunderson Lutheran Hospice staff. Thank you to his UWL family for the many meals, visits, care and love you have shared with us.
Yoo Mee and Nick will scatter David’s ashes on a special beach in Hawaii this summer. A scholarship is being established under David’s name through the UWL Foundation.
You waited until you knew we were strong enough to continue without you.
My sincere condolences to Dr. Howard’s family. I was a student of Dr. Howard’s from 2002-2004 at UWL. I worked with him on several research projects during the summer and he was instrumental in encouraging me to attend graduate school and pursue a career in research. He was an excellent mentor and teacher. We connected a few times over the last 12 years and I always appreciated his words of encouragement. I am now an Assistant Professor myself and hope I can inspire my students the way he did for me in college. My thoughts and prayers are with all his family and friends.
Colleen (Trantow) McDowell