Tim Howard was born in Chicago March, 26, 1928 and moved with his family at an early age to Pelham where they lived at 224 Fourth Avenue (once located behind the current firehouse, but which sadly no longer stands).  His parents worked as domestic help: his father, a veteran of WWI, was a chauffeur and gardener, his mother, a housekeeper and cook. Tim received his first communion at St. Catharine’s Church and attended Hutchinson Elementary School (where he sang in the Glee Club) and Pelham Middle School (where he was a boy scout).  As a student at Pelham Memorial High School, he lettered in three sports.

On the baseball field, Tim had a batting average of .333 as a freshman.  He started at third base and went on to become a star pitcher on the varsity team, called by the nickname “Fireball” by The Pelham Sun. In a famous game against Bronxville in his junior year, he was expected to pitch half the game.  But after throwing a no hitter for the first three innings, the coach kept him on the mound. He went on to pitch his first no-hit, no-run game. 

PMHS Basketball Team, c. 1944.  Tim Howard is Number 16. Photo from Tim Howard Scrapbook, courtesy of the Howard Family.

It was no different on the football field. Tim played halfback in the old “single-wing formation,” a variation of which put him in the role of a modern quarterback. Every week of his senior year season, Tim made headlines. “Pelicans Conquer Isaac Young 19-0 as Howard and Tracy Star in Opener,” said The Pelham Sun in October 1945. Two weeks later, the paper blared “Pelicans Swamp Eastchester 42-0; Howard Stars, Scoring Twice And Passes for Three More Touchdowns.”

As in basketball, his coach was Carl Schilling and Tim led PMHS to an undefeated and untied season, the first since 1934 and the last in Pelham’s history. In the final game of his PMHS career, The Pelham Sun headline was “Pelham Proves Pleasantville Panthers just Pets” and reported that:

“Once again, it was Eli (Tim) Howard, Coach Carl Schilling’s indispensable man, who showed that it is he who carries the Pelham fortunes squarely on his gangling shoulders and strong right arm. Playing his last game in a Pelham uniform, Howard tallied three touchdowns and an extra point, pitched two scoring passes, did the kicking, intercepted passes and tackled ferociously. In his spare time, he ripped off 90 yards in 12 attempts rushing, thus belying the report that he is a passer and kicker only.  Just how valuable Howard is to the Blue and White is shown in the fact that of the 461 yards gained in various ways by the Pelicans, he was responsible for 273. By the time the Pelham star was through perpetrating assorted atrocities on the hapless Panthers, they were only too glad that it was the last time they would have to face him.” 

Tim Howard with Coach Carl Schilling.  Photo from Tim Howard scrapbook courtesy of Howard Family.

After graduating PMHS, Tim entered the U.S. Marine Corps, was honorably discharged as a Corporal after one year and entered Morgan State College (now University) as a Cadet ROTC Officer. Once again, he starred on the football team (as quarterback in the modern T formation) and, again as co-captain, led his team to an undefeated season.   One press report stated that he was "recognized as one of the smartest quarterbacks in collegiate football."  He also continued to play basketball and was described in the college newspaper: “Like a tiger while in action, Tim is shrewd, cunning, dangerous and powerful. He has kept the team together and the morale of the boys high with his driving, fighting spirit, throughout the season.”

Tim entered the service as a Second Lieutenant, United States Army Reserve and received further training before serving in the Korean Conflict.  In the early 1950s, he was the Grand Marshal of the Pelham Memorial Day Parade.  “Tim loved the army. When he got back from Korea, there was no chance of him doing anything else,” Joan would later say.  After being stationed in Germany, he signed up for a tour in Vietnam and then volunteered for a second, serving as commander of the Third Battalion, 196th Light Infantry Brigade.

LTC Eli P. Howard receives the Legion of Merit from Brigadier General Edward Bautz, Jr., Director of Military Personnel Policies, OCDSPER, in ceremony held at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., January 10, 1969.  Photo Courtesy of the Howard Family

In 1965, the famous LA Times foreign correspondent, Jack Foisie, reported from Vietnam that “Eli (Tim) Howard is one of 5,000 American officers … who train, fight – and not infrequently dies – in the swamp and jungle of Viet Nam.”  On August 19, 1969, Tim and six other soldiers along with an Associated Press photographer were in a helicopter that was struck, caught fire and crashed.  In the following days, three companies of infantry, battled their way through 31 miles of hostile territory to reach the wreckage.  They found no survivors.  Tim’s body was identified and transported back to the United States where he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, a row over from his parents.  He left behind a widow and five children, ages 17 to 6.  He was 41 years old.

“Even though he was killed in Vietnam, he died doing something he felt strongly about," his two daughters recently told the Pelham Town Historian. "He served through the integration of the Army.  He loved his country through all its ups and downs.  He saw hope in this country and its people.”  From conversations with his children, it is a legacy that they clearly carry on.