January Updates from Mesa Verde

Richard Marshall Howard, who died Jan. 2 at Christus St. Vincent Medical Center after several years of poor health, was a man of no small parts. "Dick" Howard may have been best-known for his encyclopedic knowledge of Native American pottery and artists, and his many collections. But he had other facets to his character, all polished to a notable sparkle by his keen mind and insatiable interest in life.

Maggie Maule recalled meeting Howard when they both started work at Mesa Verde on the same day in 1959. "My husband was an archaeologist, as was Dick," she said. "I worked for the Mesa Verde Museum Association.

"We were all young; we all had just graduated from college. Dick was a wonderful guy. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He and I were at the front desk together. People would ask questions like, 'How many undiscovered ruins are there?' We decided that each of us would say, 'Eleven.' People would come back in (after touring the park) with these very puzzled looks on their faces."

Howard's National Park Service tenure included a number of years at Gran Quivira (now a part of Salinas National Monument) and Canyon de Chelly. He then worked in San Francisco as a museum curator in a central NPS design office. From there, he returned to Mesa Verde and then was assigned to Casa Grande National Monument in Arizona. He retired from that post to Santa Fe in 1986. Howard stayed vital and busy and traveled frequently after retirement, until he had a stroke six years ago.

Howard is survived by his brother, Robert Howard; his sister, Judy Howard Gillen and her husband; nieces and nephews; and countless friends. Cremation has taken place. A public celebration of Howard's life will be announced at a later date.

Read more about the extraordinary life of Dick Howard in The New Mexican.