Died November 3, 2008
College: Silliman
Widow: Mrs. Edwin A. Howe
679 Baldwin Road
PO Box 0350
Ticonderoga, NY 12883-0350
Children: Chris, 1968; Melissa, 1970; Katie, 1975
Edwin Howe was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and attended University School, as I did, too. He was an only child and his parents nicknamed him Brick, for reasons I’ve forgotten completely. When I began at U.S. (in the 10th grade) I came to realize that Brick was, and had been for awhile, the top student academically in the class. Naturally I found this an excellent reason to stay away from him, as it was clearly, to me, a flaw in his character. After a year, however, we became friendly and I found, my medieval suspicions of such academic achievement eased, that Brick was warm, humorous, emotionally intelligent , compassionate, and a whole great deal of fun. He gave academic excellence a good name to me, and, much more important, he gave the whole idea of friendship wonderful, surprising new dimensions.
Then we were both accepted at Yale, and in the last three of our four years there we roomed together, along with Alfred Goldfield and Richard Smernoff. Sometimes I stayed up all night at Yale, having procrastinated on one project or another, and almost always Brick did, because he simply worked harder than anybody I’ve known. We barely said a word to each other on those all-nighters — we just worked — and they were deeply happy and close.
And then Brick became a spectaculalry successful (and hard-working) lawyer in New York,. married Margaret, had wonderful children, and retired to (way) upstate New York in his early sixties. where he became a ferociously active member of his community and, well before his death, wrote an ironic and witty obituary for himself that was dutifully published in the New York Times. That piece is a treasure; so was, and in fact still is, Brick Howe.
—by Austin Pendleton
Obituary:
Edwin A. (Brick) Howe, Jr., of Ticonderoga, NY (formerly of Garden City, NY) died on November 3rd at the age of sixty-nine.
Mr. Howe, a practicing lawyer for over 40 years, first in New York City and then in Ticonderoga, was also active in many civic and charitable affairs in all the communities where he lived.
Mr. Howe was born in Cleveland, OH, on January 21, 1939, to Edwin A. Howe and the former Helen Dorothy Beck. He graduated from Yale University in 1961, and was awarded an honors degree in law by The University of Michigan Law School in 1964. In law school, he was an editor of The University of Michigan Law Review and was awarded the Jason L. Honigman Prize for his accomplishments in that position. He was a member of the Bar of New York State and of the United States Supreme Court.
In 1964, Mr. Howe married Margaret Joan Webber, daughter of long-term Garden City residents Mr. and Mrs. Harry G. Webber, at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
After serving six years at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Mr. Howe co-founded the international law firm of Sann & Howe (subsequently Howe & Addington LLP) in New York City in 1970, serving it as a Partner through 1989 and then as Senior Partner for ten years until he became Senior Counsel. In 2004, Mr. Howe joined the Ticonderoga law firm Viscardi Howe & Rudgers LLP.
In his 33 years in Garden City, he served as a member of the Village Board of Trustees, Commissioner of Zoning and Planning, Commissioner of Public Works, first a member and then the chair of the Library Board of Trustees, and a member of the Environmental Advisory Board. His civic accomplishments culminated with his role as chairman of the committee of Village Trustees that drafted a comprehensively revised master plan and zoning code for the Village.
Mr. Howe also served as a member of the Garden City Community Fund and acted as a director for several years.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Margaret, his mother-in-law, Anne Webber, his three children Christopher, Melissa, and Katie, his son-in-law, Chris Miller, and his two grandchildren, Julia and Beck.
Mr. Howe expressed the hope that, if he should end up, spiritually speaking, “somewhere” after death, it would be in Ticonderoga and or a place where he could continue to enjoy his memories of Ticonderoga and perhaps even follow the continued activities and progress of its citizens. Anyone wishing to sustain his shade in that endeavor may do so via contribution to Ticonderoga Main Street Partnership, Inc., PO Box 379, Ticonderoga, NY 12883