Howard, James W.
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Howard, James W.
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Affectionately known as Pop Howard, James W. Howard worked as a janitor and chemistry lab assistant at Davidson College for twenty years and was a devoted husband, father, and community leader.
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James William Howard was born Ernest Franklin Howard and Reedie Potts Howard on January 19, 1929. After graduating from Huntersville High School, he briefly attended North Carolina A&T University. He enlisted in the US Air Force. He received an honorable discharge in July 1948.
He began working at Davidson College in 1948. He started as a janitor in the maintenance department and became a technician and janitor in the Chemistry lab. Davidson students held him in high esteem and even profiled him in a 1955 Davidsonian article. He also mentored early African American students. After twenty years, he left the college for work at the US Postal Service and a local funeral home.
He was an active and respected community leader in the Davidson and broader North Mecklenburg community. For over 30 years, he has taught Sunday school at Davidson Presbyterian Church. He served as a trustee of the Christian Aid Society Cemetery and active member of the Masonic Lodge. His leadership helped to ensure a space for African American teens, and he also served on many town boards and initiatives.
Outside of the college, he married Dovie Houston in February 1949. Together, they had three daughters. Rev. Brenda Tapia eventually found employment as an assistant chaplain and minority student counselor at Davidson College. Howard passed away on June 26, 2021. He is buried in the Christian Aid Society Cemetery on the Davidson College campus.
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January 19, 1929
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June 26, 2021
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1930 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com
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1940 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com
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1950 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com
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Bob Majors, “Tribute To A Janitor,” The Davidsonian, January 13, 1956, 6.
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Interview with James Howard, 1997 April, OHI-0137, Common Ground Oral History Project, Archives and Special Collections, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
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Interview with James Howard, 2012 June 28, OHI-0313, Archives and Special Collections, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
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Interview with Brenda Tapia, 2017 January 05, OHI-0233, Davidson Stories: Community-Based Oral History and Interview Collection (RG19-02), Archives and Special Collections, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
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James Howard, “Home Page,” Life Stories at Davidson College, Davidson College, https://public.davidson.edu/psychology/krmulthaup/reminiscencef01/jameshoward/home%20page.htm.
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Jerry S. Stockdale, “Dr. Georges Nzongola,” Davidson Journal, Fall 1990, 14–15.
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C. Christian Lamb, “It Hasn’t Been Exactly Easy’: Early Student Reflections on Integration at Davidson,” Around the D (blog), Davidson College Archives and Special Collections, February 17, 2016, https://digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains/aroundthed/?p=19326
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