Howard Pindell

Howard Douglas Pindell was born on April 8, 1908, in Annapolis, Maryland. He grew up in a rural area, attending a one-room school, a five-mile walk away from his home. Going to work at age 13, Howard worked his way through school, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Morgan State University in 1931 and a master's degree from Columbia University in 1939 and Temple University in 1957. He worked as a high school teacher in Annapolis, Maryland, and Frederick, Maryland. He was also a principal in Frederick from 1936 through 1938. He was instrumental in starting an African-American teachers union, the Colored Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County in an attempt to address the unequal salaries for black teachers. In 1936, he was involved in the forming of a test case pursued by Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston, well known NAACP lawyers at the time.

In 1974, Howard retired from the Common Pleas Court. His affiliations include the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Frontiers International and Philadelphia Seminar. He served as a board member and president of the board of the Woman's Christian Alliance and was also a board member of the Germantown Settlement. He was president of the board of Faith Presbyterian Church in Germantown and an elder of Germantown Community United Presbyterian Church. Howard was a member of the National Council of Crime and Delinquency as well as a member of the American Psychological Association, the Pennsylvania Prison Society, the Personnel and Guidance Association of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Association of Probation and Parole. He was a principal delegate to the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and a member of the World Presbyterian Alliance. He was on the board of directors of Presbyterian Homes and the YMCA as well as an elder of Cedar Park United Presbyterian Church. He served as president for two terms on the Residence Association of the Fountains of Logan Square East where he resided for the last 16 years of his life. Throughout his life, he received numerous citations and awards.

On Sunday, April 9, 2006, Howard experienced his transition. He is survived by a daughter, Howardena Pindell of New York City; two sisters; and several nieces who live in Philadelphia, Pa., and Baltimore, Md. There are additional relatives on his wife's side who reside in Ohio, Nevada, Arizona and California.