Weston Howland, Jr.
May 13, 1924-May 8, 2009
Weston “Dusty” Howland grew up in Milton, Massachusetts and attended Milton Academy. He joined the Army after graduation and earned the rank of Lieutenant in the OSS; he was stationed in China during the closing years of World War II. He completed his college education at Harvard College (Class of 1949) and founded the investment advisory firm Howland Capital Management. He was the chairman of Warwick Mills, one of the few textile mills still operating in New England. He was a director of a number of private and public corporate boards including American Mutual Liability Insurance Companies, Avery Dennison, Bank of New England, Bird & Sons, Fifty Associates, Samson Cordage Company and Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.
Weston was an active philanthropist serving on numerous boards and supporting many charitable organizations. One of his first volunteer involvements was on the Boston City Hospital Board under the then Mayor John Collins. He was later asked by Mayor Collins to help bring an aquarium to Boston and, working closely with a number of dedicated volunteers, created what is now the New England Aquarium. He spent more than 25 years serving both Tufts University, where he received an honorary doctorate degree in 1990, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute where he served on the Executive Committee until just 4 months ago. He also served on the boards of Crossroads for Kids, Civic Education Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Plimoth Plantation and The Trustees of Reservation.
His belief in the importance of education led to his funding educational fellowships at a number of the institutions with which he was involved. He also loved to support organizations with innovative programs that addressed issues in a different way and often his support was designed to promote others to give. He encouraged his children and grandchildren to give back to their communities through charitable organizations where there could be a multiplier effect from the support they provided.
He loved the outdoors and was an avid boater, hunter and fisherman and traveled around the world to do so. He regaled his many friends and associates with great stories of faraway places. His outdoor activities also gave him a keen appreciation for stewardship of the environment and land conservation. Over the years he was an active participant in conservation efforts on Martha’s Vineyard.
A memorial service will be held at his residence in Weston on May 16th at 11:30am. For those who wish, contributions in Mr. Howland’s memory may be made to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, Mass.