Locating Slavery's Legacies @ Virginia Military Institute

Memorial Artwork

Sculptural Memorial

Reparative

Howard, Dovie H.

Headstone of Dovie H. Howard

Dovie Houston Howard, a former Davidson College employee and beloved community member, died on September 28, 2008, after a lingering illness. The memorial commemorates her eighty-one years of life and enduring legacy.

On October 3, 2008, Reverend Darrell VanPelt officiated the well-attended funeral service held at Davidson Presbyterian Church, where she was an active member. Her surviving family included her husband, James W. Howard, daughters Branda Tapia, Cassandra Howard, and Beverly Bailey, and other relatives deeply rooted in the Davidson community. In her funeral program, a poem titled “Miss Me But Let Me Go” reflected her eighty-one years of life and enduring legacy. W. H. Bryant, A.E. Grier and Sons Funeral Home assisted with the services and burial in the Christian Aid Society Cemetery.

The headstone features a smooth gray granite, strong and durable material, with a dark, speckled appearance that contrasts nicely with natural-engraved lettering. “Howard” is inscribed at the top. On the left side, it is inscribed within a scroll motif on the left “James W. Jan. 19, 1929 | June 26, 2021” and on the right, “Dovie H. Nov. 5, 1927 | Sept. 28, 2008.” In between, two interlocking rings with flowers in a diagonal position symbolize their eternal union. Below, their wedding date of “Feb. 8, 1949” in placed in a small rectangle. The headstone rests in a gently undulating grassy field, near the parking area, and displays some weathering.

It is a smooth gray granite with a dark, speckled appearance with the natural gray engraved lettering. The flat base measures about sixty-seven inches wide and supports a vertical rectangular stone. The overall memorial stands approximately thirty-one inches from the ground. “Howard” is inscribed at the top. On the left side, it is inscribed with “James W. Jan. 19, 1929 | June 26, 2021” and on the right, “Dovie H. Nov. 5, 1927 | Sept. 28, 2008”, all set within a scroll. In between, two interlocking rings with flowers in a diagonal position symbolize their eternal union. Below, their anniversary date, “Feb. 8, 1949”, is outlined in a rectangle.

“Howard”
“James W. Jan. 19, 1929 | June 26, 2021”
“Dovie H. Nov. 5, 1927 | Sept. 28, 2008”
“Married Feb. 8, 1949”
Interlocked Rings Surrounded by Vine of Flowers

Howard, James W.

Tapia, Brenda L. Howard

Surviving friends and family of Dovie H. Howard.

W. H. Bryant, A.E. Grier and Sons Funeral Home

October 3, 2008

June 2021

2000-Present: Memorialization in the Era of Universities Studying Slavery and the Black Lives Matter Movement

Tapia, Brenda L. Howard

Howard, James W.

Christian Aid Society Cemetery

Davidson College; Davidson, North Carolina

“Dovie Houston Howard,” The Charlotte Observer, October 2, 2008.

"The Rites of Passage Mrs. Dovie Houston Howard." Funeral Program. Local-Davidson, Town of Prominent Citizens Davidsoniana file. Davidson College Archives & Special Collections, Davidson, NC.