As a teenager he left home to serve in the United States Navy during World War II, a time when he was subjected to racism that would inspire him to become a lawyer.
[2] Howard played an important judicial role in the Whitewater trial, which led to the downfall of then- Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker.
[8] During the Whitewater trials, Howard called for video testimony from Clinton, the man who had appointed him to the court of appeals years earlier.
He made the daily drive from his home in Pine Bluff to Little Rock, Arkansas to carry out his judicial duties, despite being slowed in his later years by declining health.
[10] Howard died April 21, 2007, at Jefferson Regional Medical Center, after battling health issues for several years.