[3] He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, entering as an aviation cadet and became a pilot.
Before returning to Amityville High School, he was director of the McBurney YMCA in Manhattan[4] that was the inspiration for the Village People's song.
[5] He was a driver's ed instructor and football coach 1952–1968 at Amityville Memorial High School,[3] where he used motivational psychology to field his winning teams.
[9] With his knowledge of sports psychology he was asked to give pre-game talks for several NFL teams, including the Dallas Cowboys.
[10] In 1969 Howard left Amityville High School to become founding chair of aerospace studies at Farmingdale State College.
[3] President Nixon appointed him to serve on a federal advisory committee to help design the first space shuttle for NASA.
[14] His entry to politics was in 1963 when won election as an Amityville Village Trustee, breaking 40 years of one-party rule.
[4] When he left politics at age 63, he was the last remaining member of the first Suffolk County Legislature 17 years earlier.
[15] His eldest son, Thomas, was a football coach at Bay Shore High School,[12] winning two Rutgers Trophies, awarded to the top high school football team in Suffolk County, to make eight for the father son duo.
[17] Son Lou Howard Jr, physical education director for West Babylon schools,[18] made a bid for the Suffolk Legislature, but lost.
[14] Other business interests included a laminating company, travel agency, driving school, real estate broker and investment consulting; he was also a licensed masseur.