Howard Roberts Lamar

Howard Roberts Lamar, distinguished historian and former president of Yale University, passed away on February 22, 2023 in Orange, Connecticut. He was 99. Howard was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. His mother, Elma Jane Roberts Lamar, was a teacher and a strong believer in the value of education. His father, John Howard Lamar, was a contractor and farmer. Howard sought all the educational opportunities available in Tuskegee, and through the strong encouragement of his paternal aunt, he applied and was accepted to Emory College. Emory professors inspired Howard to further his education in history and he headed north to Yale University for his doctorate in 1945 (‘51 Ph.D). Howard flourished at Yale and never left. He also set down roots in the New Haven area. In the 1950s he was elected as an Alderman for the City of New Haven, a role which helped forge his understanding of the importance of good relations between a university and its city. In New Haven, Howard met Doris Shirley White, a spirited Englishwoman, whose lively repartee while on a date to a Yale football game probably sealed the deal. Upon his marriage to Shirley in 1959, Howard moved to North Haven where they raised their two daughters. Their home in North Haven was on a hilltop and it was an oasis of nature where Howard and Shirley honed their expert gardening skills. Their house was also the location of many great parties and a welcome spot for guests coming from near and far. Howard and Shirley were a team and she tirelessly supported her husband during his rise through the academic ranks. In his long career at Yale, Howard became a venerable expert on the American West and Sterling Professor of History. Howard’s book “The New Reader’s Encyclopedia of the American West” is a canonical reference text in the field. His other books include, “Texas Crossings: The Lone Star State and the Far West, 1836-1986,” “The Far Southwest, 1846–1912: A Territorial History,” and “Charlie Siringo’s West: An Interpretive Biography.” In addition to his academic scholarship, Howard held numerous positions at Yale, culminating in his role as president from 1992 to 1993, when he guided the university through a turbulent period in its history. He also served as the chair of the history department and was dean of Yale College for six years, starting in 1979. He retired in 1994. His name remains prominent on campus, both in the Howard R. Lamar Center for the Study of Frontiers and Borders, which supports work that extends his scholarly vision, and The Lamar Series in Western History, published by the Yale University Press. As a professor at Yale, Howard established a long-running and popular survey course, “The History of the American West.” He also became an influential mentor and advisor, wellknown for his welcoming and engaging demeanor – as well as his southern charm and quick wit. Many of his students and advisees went on to become influential scholars themselves, both at Yale and in history departments across the country, with areas of focus including Native American history, the Latinx history of the West, and environmental studies. Howard was granted an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1975 from his alma mater, Emory University. Following the monumental Woodruff gift to Emory in 1979, Howard, then dean of Yale College, was asked to chair an external review committee of nationally recognized educators. The “Lamar Report” became the blueprint for the first phase of Emory’s extraordinary growth. Even in retirement, Howard stayed active and his curiosity never diminished. Until his death, he continued to read voraciously, whether it was the New York Times, publications in his field, or mystery novels. For many years he also led travel programs for the Association for Yale Alumni (AYA), as it was then known. He and his wife, Shirley, who had worked at the AYA, received the Yale Medal in 1995 for their many contributions to the university. In 2014, the AYA established an award for faculty contributions to alumni in his honor, conferring the inaugural award on him. Howard is survived by his daughter, Sarah H. Lamar; son-in-law, Scott Gress; and three grandsons, Geoffrey, Thomas, and Peter Gress of Savannah, Georgia; his nieces, Mary Jane Lamar and Katie Lamar Jackson of Alabama; and his nieces, Penny and Pym Buitenhuis and nephew, Paul Buitenhuis of Canada. He is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Lamar (nee White); daughter, Susan K. Lamar; and brother, Lee Young Lamar. Charitable donations may be made in memory of Howard to the Susan K. Lamar Scholarship Fund at the Yale University School of Nursing, c/o Yale University Office of Development Contribution Processing, P.O. Box 2038, New Haven, CT 06521-2038.