Howard S. Fuller ’51

Howard S. Fuller ’51 died in Claremont, California, on May 15. He had lived for more than 25 years in Pilgrim Place, a senior living community in Claremont. Howie’s family described him as a “husband, father, grandfather, scholar, pastor, author, community organizer, and tennis and backpacking devotee.” Many of these qualities were demonstrated by his work in church settings. Howie was an ordained minister, having earned a master’s of divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 1954. He later earned a Ph.D. in the sociology of religion from SUNY Buffalo. Howie served as senior pastor of a United Church of Christ congregation in Benicia, California, for 10 years and was a pastor in church in Rochester and Buffalo, New York. He spent several years as a community organizer, creating Head Start programs and fostering open-occupancy housing. He called himself a sociologist of groups and institutions. He led workshops and wrote two books: The Pastor Who Learned to Dance and an autobiography, Treasure Hunting: A Journey Towards Intimacy. Howie and his family spent many summers at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, where they enjoyed swimming and tennis. He also indulged his love of the outdoors by backpacking and hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains. He was a lifelong singer and reader. At Dartmouth Howie was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was member of the Glee Club and the Undergraduate Council.