The Partial Observer by Kristian Connolly

Hundreds Celebrate CCS, Community ‘Icon’ Howard

In an unusual scene the afternoon of Saturday, September 7 at Cooperstown Central School, it wasn’t until after the varsity football game ended that the parking lots around the high school began to really fill up with cars.

The reason? Hundreds of people gathered at the school’s auditorium to pay their respects, share remembrances, have a laugh, and perhaps even shed a tear or two as longtime influential community figure and CCS educator, coach, and athletics Hall of Fame member Don Howard was celebrated posthumously. Howard passed away in early June at the age of 82.

In a career at CCS that spanned more than three decades, Howard taught history and psychology and was a longtime coach of both boys JV basketball and boys varsity track and field. After 49 years living in Cooperstown, he and his wife of 44 years, Doris, split time between a camp in the Adirondacks and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina later in Howard’s life. 

Leading Saturday’s memorial service was Rev. Dr. Bonnie Orth, pastor of the Mayfield Central Presbyterian Church, near the shores of the Great Sacandaga Lake.

“This is a celebration of Don’s life, as it should be,” said Orth. “It was quite a life he had. I guess he was kind of famous in these parts. I can see that from the number of people who came…to celebrate Don’s life.”

The memorial service featured four speakers, each invited by Howard’s family as a representative of a group, or groups, of people who were integral in Howard’s life—Howard’s daughter, Kelly Howard Kerner, on behalf of the family; Frank Miosek, as a teaching and coaching colleague, fellow golfer, and neighbor; CCS alum Wayne Miller, as a student and athlete; and CCS alum Joe Kennedy, as an athlete and track and field coach.

“I look around today, and I see in the audience the people he loved, and cared about,” said Kerner, who spoke first. “From family, to friends, to childhood friends, his golfing buddies, coworkers, and so many former students and athletes. I know he’s looking down today, and he is grinning from ear to ear. He is loving this.

After saying that there was no doubt that her father impacted many lives, Kerner recounted a message the family received after Howard’s passing, one which Kerner said succinctly summarized so much of what the family has been told over the past few months. 

“Your dad made me feel seen, heard, understood and appreciated,” the note said. “The memories I have are not simply of moments, but of a feeling. He was a special person.”

Kerner closed by reciting part of a letter she wrote to her father late in his life.

“I learned and saw how much you cared about people, and how you coached to bring out the best,” said Kerner’s letter. “I also learned about giving back, particularly to the community in which you live. Thank you for teaching and modeling these life lessons.”

Community members have had much to say about Coach Howard and his tremendous impact upon their lives.

Frank Miosek: “Don was my icon when I came to coach from Cherry Valley in the late ‘80s. I was the new guy, and there were already many well-defined cliques, defined by subject and sports. Soccer was the new sport, and Don advised me to ‘Stay low, keep a low profile. Find out who is who, who are their relatives, don’t get involved in the gossip mill, and be careful how you critique the athletes in front of other people.’”

Wayne Miller: “Coach Howard always stopped to talk to me and ask me what I was up to. About 10 years [after being a student at CCS], I had just lost my father. I was returning to work at [Bassett Healthcare], and on my first day back I parked my car at my dad’s house on Fair Street and I started walking across to the hospital. A car came up and slammed on the brakes… The window rolls down, and it was Coach Howard. He said, ‘Sorry to hear about your dad,’ and he asked if I needed anything. I said, ‘No, you just gave me what I needed.’ That’s who Don Howard was.”

Joe Kennedy: “Over the years, Don was so much more than a coach. He was a mentor and friend. From my teenage years to my professional career, Don’s guidance and support profoundly shaped my life. Don was a light to others, his life was a beacon. Encouraging each of us to discover our authentic selves, pursue our dreams, and to uplift those around us… His joy in watching young people find their way was a defining characteristic of his approach to life and coaching. His focus on fairness, character, and leading by example was evident in every interaction and would be mirrored in every story anybody could tell.”

Dan Crowell, CCS graduate and former athlete: “What stands out to me, particularly in retrospect, is how as a coach [Howard] led teams but also built programs, and as a teacher he fostered an interest in his subjects but also was a part of a unique cohesion among the faculty in that era. Like [former CCS math teacher and boys varsity basketball coach] Dick White back then and Frank Miosek still today, they established a legacy and community among their students and their athletes that endures across generations, and the country.”

Peter Kelly, CCS graduate and former athlete: “As a teacher myself, I draw from Mr. Howard’s example all the time. Not that I would have said it this way as a high school kid, but I always knew Mr. Howard loved and cared for us because he was always having fun when he was with us, teaching, coaching, and in my case, commiserating about the Mets but also always believing in them. I have tried my best to follow him, and it has made all the difference in my teaching life. I am just endlessly grateful that he gave that to me. And I consider it a miracle that he did the same for hundreds and hundreds of Cooperstown kids. I miss him so much.”

John Lambert, former basketball player under Howard, and now the boys’ varsity coach at CCS: “He worked so meticulously on developing that young talent, knowing that he was going to shape the varsity even though he wasn’t the varsity coach. When I became the JV coach in 2010 or so, he was one of the first people that called me, and said, ‘You’re going to love this experience; it’s a great experience. You’re going to love developing young kids into the young men that they are.’ And he basically said [being the JV coach is] getting them ready to go across, or through, or around the divider. And I still use that [in guiding the program]. He loved competition, and he loved seeing the kids get better from one week to the next. He played to win, and he played to win the right way. That’s what we knew when you played basketball for Don Howard. You were going to learn the fundamentals, and you were going to be ready for your moment when it became time for Coach White to bring you over to the varsity team.” 

Seth Schaeffer, CCS graduate and former athlete: “He met people where they were. Whether you were the star of [his team] or barely making passing grades in U.S. history, he was supportive of you, caring, and on your side.  He saw the best in you, and you felt it. I don’t know if it’s optimism or joy or what, but he always had a smile and kind word for you. If you knew him well enough, that ‘kind word’ might be busting your chops, but you loved it. He had such a positive outlook and endearing greeting for everyone. I’m sure he had bad days, and rough stretches, like we all do, but you would never know it. I think that was because he chose happiness. He found silver linings. He looked for the good.”

It was abundantly clear Saturday that Howard was a man who was loved and revered by so many people, and that he lives on as an inspiration to those who were fortunate enough to know him.