Longtime HSU trustee dies at 79
Howell graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in 1952.
Ronald Gene Howell once encountered a young man with bad teeth working at a fast-food restaurant, so he took him to a dentist and got the problem fixed.
“That’s the type of person he was,” said Wayne Roy, former vice president for institutional advancement at Hardin-Simmons University. “He was a uniquely interesting person with real compassion for others and for education.”
These are the attributes that will be missed at HSU, where Howell was a longtime member of the board of trustees and a donor.
Howell died earlier this month in Arlington. He was 79.
He was a 1952 graduate of HSU with a degree in chemistry, and he later worked as a research chemist for Johnson & Johnson.
Roy said Howell had an acute interest in education. He and his wife, Sherry Kever Howell, set up an endowed scholarship for students, and he frequently visited with and encouraged the recipients of his scholarship.
“He was a man of true character, great principle, and really put great value on education and higher education,” Roy said.
Before serving on the board of trustees, Howell was chairman of the university’s board of development. He also received an honorary doctorate from HSU, said Roy, who has known Howell for 15 years.
Howell had the unique capability of asking questions and speaking his mind without becoming adversarial, Roy said.
“He didn’t have his sword out and his shield up with regards to things,” Roy said. “That was not his nature. He was very respectful of other opinions but was not afraid to speak his piece or share his ideas and concepts.”
Howell died April 12 and was laid to rest in Arlington.
Lanny Hall, HSU president, said Howell was an exemplary “servant leader.”
“He gave much of his time, energy and resources to scholarships and to improving instruction in the sciences,” Hall said. “His life was an example of how a dedicated Christian can make a difference.”
There are 36 members of the HSU board of trustees. Howell’s replacement will be elected by the executive board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Hall said.
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