Francis Clark Howell

Francis Clark Howell (1925 - 2007) wiki

"Dr. Clark's tremendous passion for the science of human origins led him to be one of the founding supporters of The Leakey Foundation and an unparalleled authority in the field of paleoanthropology and human evolution. He was both a scientific adviser and Trustee of the Leakey Foundation. Gordon Getty, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Leakey Foundation, described Professor Howell as "a great, gutsy guy; he never minded saying exactly what he thought in any meeting, but he was also one of the great mediators when opinions differed. He was our mentor on the scientific side, and his tremendous knowledge of the field was endlessly invaluable." The Leakey Foundation will miss his knowledge, enthusiasm, wisdom, and support."

"After service as a navy signalman in the Pacific during the Second World War, Howell met the palaeontologists George Gaylord Simpson, Franz Weidenreich and Ralph von Koenigswald, then working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. These meetings proved Howell’s inspiration, and he enrolled under the GI Bill of Rights as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago in 1947, completing a PhD in anthropology there in 1953." 

"Among his many honors, Professor Howell received the Charles Darwin Award for lifetime achievement from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists...

"His tremendous zeal and energy led him into activities, including scientific adviser and trustee of the San Francisco-based Leakey Foundation, which provides significant grants to anthropologists worldwide; trustee and president of the California Academy of Sciences; editor or editorial board member of nine scientific journals; and adviser to the National Science Foundation."


 * Founder, Human Evolution Research Center

His wife was Betty Ann Howell.

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