April 17, 2008
Iowa Falls Couple Pledge $5 Million to UI Athletics
IOWA CITY – It’s been said the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree: Sons and daughters of bankers often become bankers. Sons and daughters of artists often pursue a career in the arts.
Need more evidence to support the theory? Consider the children of Dale and Marilyn Howard.
  |
|
The Howards recently made a gift commitment of $5 million to the University of Iowa Foundation to support the UI Intercollegiate Athletics Department and, specifically, the planned enhancements to Carver-Hawkeye Arena which are pending approval from the Board of Regents.
Their relationship with the UI dates to the early 1950s when Dale was pursuing his undergraduate degree and includes 32 years of financial support for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Their gift ranks alongside similar gifts to the UI Foundation by Russell and Ann Gerdin and W.A. “Bill” and Nancy Krause as the largest ever given in support of the intercollegiate athletics program at the UI.
“It’s a decision of ours that was made much easier as a result of the support we’ve received from our children,” Dale said. “They each appreciate tremendously what the University of Iowa means to the two of us.”
DALE AND MARILYN ARE the parents of four children: sons Steve – the oldest child – and Scott – the youngest – and twin daughters, Diane Gulick and Donna Holland. They also are the grandparents to five children and three great-grandchildren.
 |
Dale and Marilyn are the parents of four children: sons Steve – the oldest child – and Scott – the youngest – and twin daughters, Diane and Donna. They also are the grandparents to five children and three great-grandchildren.
|
Steve spends his workday alongside his father, running Dale’s pride and joy: Dale Howard, Inc. – one of the first automobile dealerships in the United States to offer products from every major domestic manufacturer under one roof.
On the neatly manicured grounds and in the spacious showroom in Iowa Falls, customers can kick the tires of the newest offerings of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler…all parked in tidy rows grouped by brand and make and model.
If a new General Motors Chevrolet Impala is what you’re interested in, Dale Howard Inc., has it. In fact, Dale has proudly sold Chevrolet cars and trucks since he bought the dealership in 1975.
If it’s a Ford Escape or a GMC Denali, Dale and Steve have a few of those for you to test drive.
If it’s the latest Jeep Commander, they’ve got those, too.
And, of course, if what you’re looking for is not on the lot at 600 Brooks Road, Dale will have his grandson, Tony – Steve’s youngest child – order exactly what you want direct from the factory.
The ability to provide friends, neighbors and others in greater north central Iowa and beyond the opportunity for “one-stop shopping” is something Dale has worked years to achieve and considers one of his greatest achievements professionally. In fact, it was among the reasons he was selected the state of Iowa’s representative for Time Magazine’s Quality Dealer of the Year in 2007.
“I wanted all the brands on the same lot. One lot, one location, one showroom and the entire sales staff selling everything,” Dale said.
“It wasn’t easy. It took me awhile – lots of telephone calls, paperwork and a trip to Kansas City for an `interview’ – to convince the Ford folks that it was a good idea. And it was. We’ve done well with all of the brands.”
WHILE SON STEVE FELL in love with the car business – Dale’s self-described “second-most favorite hobby,” second only to his family – the twins are currently teachers in West Des Moines- Diane, a fourth-grade teacher at Westridge Elementary School, and Donna, a sixth-grade teacher at Hillside Elementary School.
|
Dale would eventually spend all but four of the next 16 years teaching and/or coaching at community colleges across the state including a seven-year stay at Iowa Central where he had a string of 20-win seasons as head coach of the men’s basketball team. Marilyn would occasionally teach as a substitute while keeping things humming at home.
|
And, yes. The apple doesn`t fall too far from the tree: Dale and Marilyn Howard are teachers at their core.
Marilyn earned a teaching certificate from Drake and taught elementary school before marrying and on-and-off afterward. Dale earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the UI in 1955. After a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, he landed his first job: A teaching and coaching position at Bridgewater (Iowa) High School.
“I felt so good about having the job. We lived in a little bitty house right by the school. We had a good time,” Dale remembers fondly.
Dale would eventually spend all but four of the next 16 years teaching and/or coaching at community colleges across the state including a seven-year stay at Iowa Central where he had a string of 20-win seasons as head coach of the men’s basketball team. Marilyn would occasionally teach as a substitute while keeping things humming at home.
“She was wonderful all those years,” Dale said of his high school sweetheart. “Teaching and coaching…it’s so time-consuming. I’d see the kids in the morning and that would be it. Marilyn did a wonderful job of making sure everything else got done and done right and on time.”
DALE AND MARILYN’S SON Scott – to borrow a contemporary term – is the “Hybrid Howard.”
Energetic and effusive, Scott is part Cyclone – yes – gasp – Cyclone, part Hawkeye. Part educator, part coach. And, today, after almost 25 years around or directly in the business, Scott is 100 percent basketball.
Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Iowa State and a master’s degree in educational administration from the UI. While in Iowa City, he was a member of coaching staffs of George Raveling and Tom Davis.
After 17 years on the sideline as an assistant coach in the college ranks, Scott moved on to the next level, the National Basketball Association. Today he lives in Miami and works as the director of scouting for the Charlotte Bobcats.
ALL FOUR OF DALE and Marilyn’s children and all five grandchildren have earned degrees from Iowa universities or colleges. Steve, Diane, Donna and grandson Tony each graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. Grandchildren Traci Wagner, Todd Holland and Marcus Beer followed in Dale’s footsteps and earned degrees from the University of Iowa. Grandson Eric Beer earned his degree from Central College.
The apple also doesn’t fall too far from the tree geographically. Scott is the only Howard on the family tree that doesn’t call the Hawkeye State home. Granddaughter Traci lives in Iowa City and works for the UI Athletics Department. Eric, Todd and Marcus all live and work in the Des Moines area.
WHILE THE AUTOMOBILE BUSINESS has been and continues to be very good to the Howard family, Marilyn doesn’t hesitate to note there is more to her husband’s business career and the Howard family history than just cars. A smile comes to her face when she talks about Dale and the family’s work as owners of Iowa Produce, another Howard-owned, family-run, Iowa Falls-based business.
“We brought bananas in from Gulf Port, Mississippi, ripened them, sold them and distributed them,” Dale explained.
|
“I remember some nights – we’d never miss an Iowa basketball game – and after the game we’d go to dinner with Scott and maybe some of the other coaches,” Dale continued.
“We’d get home about 2 a.m. and I’d lay down on the living room floor, get up around 4 and go load the banana truck.”
|
“I remember some nights – we’d never miss an Iowa basketball game – and after the game we’d go to dinner with Scott and maybe some of the other coaches,” he continued.
“We’d get home about 2 a.m. and I’d lay down on the living room floor, get up around 4 and go load the banana truck. We delivered as many as 8,000 40-pound boxes of bananas a week.”
“The banana business…that was something,” Dale said with big smile.
THE HOWARDS WERE ALSO involved in another Iowa Falls-based business. Dale and Marilyn were among the original investors and developers of Hawkeye Holdings, one of the state’s first producers of ethanol. In addition to being a wise investment for the Howard’s, Hawkeye Holdings also helped the state of Iowa claim a leadership position in this booming industry.
MARILYN REMEMBERS LIKE it was yesterday life with Dale in “Stadium Park” – a collection of temporary housing units – barracks – situated in the shadow of the west grandstand of historic Kinnick Stadium.
“We never went out to eat or went to a movie. We had no money…but none of us did,” she recalls. “What we did have were great friends and what we continue to have are great memories.”
She remembers their neighbors, too; the Thomases. Dale “Whitey” Thomas, a wrestler who earned all-America honors at Cornell College and later coached at Oregon State, was studying for his doctorate while training for the next Olympic Games. The couple had four children and Marilyn was a regular baby-sitter.
She also remembers one sunny fall day when a member of the Iowa football team’s coaching staff stopped on his way to practice to visit with her when she was giving Steve a ride in the baby stroller.
“You have a really nice boy there,” he told the young mother.
|
“As you can see, Marilyn and I are truly living the American Dream,” Dale said plainly. “In 1953, we’re married with a child living outside Kinnick Stadium just beginning our journey. Today, we’re blessed with a wonderful family, great friends and good health.”
|
The coach? C.W. “Bump” Elliott.
“That visit was pretty special on that day. In fact, it is still pretty special,” she said.
“As you can see, Marilyn and I are truly living the American Dream,” Dale said plainly. “In 1953, we’re married with a child living outside Kinnick Stadium just beginning our journey. Today, we’re blessed with a wonderful family, great friends and good health.
“We’ve never forgotten the University of Iowa and our roots. We could never have accomplished what we have without the experiences we had at the UI.”
The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the UI Foundation, visit its web site at uiowafoundation.org.
Click HERE for the Big Ten Network home page.