Springfield has lost an engaged and engaging political and community activist with the death of Alan Howard.
The 52-year-old Howard, a native of the city, died on Dec. 30 and was buried last week.
It’s hard to think of an important issue in recent Springfield history that Howard was not involved in. He was among the dedicated activists who fought for years to bring ward representation to the City Council. He was active in social justice organizations, including the Black Men of Greater Springfield, Arise for Social Justice and the local branch of the NAACP, sitting, at the time of his death, on the Springfield chapter’s executive committee. He was a proud resident of the McKnight community, serving for a time as president of the McKnight Neighborhood Council.
Howard was also immersed in the city’s political life; he’d worked, at times, as an aide to U.S. Rep. Richie Neal and to state rep Ben Swan, was active in Springfield’s Democratic City Committee, and volunteered on countless campaigns.
Howard loved to talk politics—for a time, he hosted a radio show on WTCC—and specialized in posing provocative what-ifs and pushing his debate partner to challenge her assumptions. That made him always fun to talk to; so did his unfailing sense of humor and graciousness.
Passing on the sad news of Howard’s death in an email, former School Committee member Bob McCollum wrote, “He was a true friend to me and many others.”
