Howard Remembered
by T.W.

To say I met Howard under difficult circumstances would be an understatement. On our first meeting I learned he had been diagnosed with incurable cancer and had but a few months to live. Our shared interest in tropical fish and my experience as an English teacher and editor led Howard to offer me a role in maintaining Aquarticles after his death. Over the next five months Howard schooled me in the running of the site. In time our weekly lessons played out as a version of Tuesdays with Morie, the philosophical recollections of a man who spends time with a dying friend. I learned more from Howard during this time than just how to run the Aquarticles website. I learned how a man confronts adversity in life with dignity, and mortality with acceptance. To me Howard epitomized optimism, a commitment to fair play, and a can-do spirit of accomplishment. He was a stalwart character who brought to mind a Victorian sensibility for the care and attention he showed in his work. Above all, Howard impressed upon me the importance of maintaining the Aquarticles vision after he was gone - a goal to which I am committed. I wish I had met Howard earlier in life.