Congratulations to John Howe
10th February 2014
History staff send their hearty congratulations to their former History colleague John Howe, who has recently been made an Honorary Fellow of the Historical Association. John Howe taught History to undergraduates at what is now the University of Gloucestershire from 1969 until his retirement in 2004. He joined the Historical Association whilst still at school and served the national organisation in a number of different capacities over many decades. He stood down only when ill-health forced him to do so in 2012. His contribution to the HA includes sitting on the national Council for a number of years in the 1990s. John was also very active in the local Cheltenham and Gloucestershire branch of the HA, spending almost 30 years as its Treasurer, and also helping to organise talks and presentations in addition to speaking to the local branch about his own research findings. He also organised a number of enjoyable summer outings for the members of the local branch. John extended the local HA branch’s remit through his membership of the editorial board of the regional journal Midlands History.
Well done, John!
We often forget the astonishing enthusiasm and hard work that colleagues and former colleagues like John put into History outside of academia and the value of their endeavours – the HA and local history groups often reach very wide audiences ranging from local enthusiasts to schools or even just interested members of the public. Such organizations serve to bring academic study to a wider audience – “social impact” if you like! It is great to see John’s work recognized.