Jane Addison Howe

Sometimes a party turns out to be a great success and every-one is having fun. But then, just one person leaves – and the party isn’t as much fun as it had been. Sadly, Jane Addison Howe “left the party” on March 2, 2023 and her absence will be felt by so many who loved and respected her – for her great intelligence, her zany sense of humor, and her truly generous spirit.

Born on August 24, 1942, Jane was the middle child and only daughter of Jane Moore Howe-Brown and Addison Armstrong Howe. Her mother, an author and journalist, an expert on Amelia Earhart, wrote a 1939 biography of the aviator which is still in print today. For many years she also wrote a popular Indianapolis Star column called Around Town.

As a child, Jane attended The Orchard School, Tudor Hall, and graduated from Shortridge High School. She attended Monticello Junior College. As part of her undergraduate work, Jane participated in a foreign studies program in art and art history at the Villa Mercedes in Florence, Italy. She completed her BA at Northeastern University in Boston and went on to earn a dual Master’s Degree in Sociology and Anthropology also from Northeastern University in Boston in 1982.

Her teaching career included a range of courses as a member of the faculties of Northeastern Universi-ty-University College, The Harvard Extension School, and Merrimack College, in Andover, MA.

In 1996, Jane co-developed the course curriculum for Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Gerontology, for Northeastern University. It was a then-innovative program that encouraged a multi-disciplinary approach to patient-centered care. Jane’s courses focused on the development of the now standard-ized best practices encouraging healthcare providers to both understand and utilize community resources.

Although born and raised a “Hoosier,” Jane also had strong family and historical ties to the East Coast. During summer vacations with relatives in the Cambridge and Cape Cod areas she forged attachments and had the opportunity to mingle with prominent relatives, including her cousin, poet E. E. Cummings.

In fact, Jane’s Colonial connections go as far back as 1681 to ancestor John How, proprietor of How’s Tavern in Sudbury, MA where, several hundred years later, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Tales from the Wayside Tavern.” And, in 1692, ancestor, Elizabeth Howe, was the last young woman barbarically burned during the Salem, MA Witch Hunt Trials.

Throughout her career, Jane’s strong sense of community commitment included memberships in Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Honor Society, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, The Junior League, The Indianapolis Dramatic Club, Indianapolis Second Presbyterian Church, Coordinator of Volunteers and Founding Member of Cambridge Massachusetts Woman’s Center and, Advisory Committee, and member of the Massachusetts Jane Doe Safety Fund, Inc.

Jane served as guest panelist and speaker at conferences and training seminars that focused on women’s health and self-empowerment.

It is no surprise that her primary passion was for education. Her DNA would have predicted it. Her paternal grandfather, Thomas Carr Howe, Sr., was professor of German Languages and president of Butler University.

One of the many highlights of Jane’s career was the invitation she received to be the Keynote Speaker for the last graduation commencement of Thomas Carr Howe High School, named after her grandfather.

Her paternal aunt, Charlotte Brendon Howe, was Dean of Halls, Bryn Mawr College, where she also served as Acting President.

In other areas of accomplishment, numerous family members contributed to the Howe family reputation for excellence and leadership.

Jane’s uncle, Thomas Carr Howe, Jr., was a WW II veteran, author, and art historian. His Book “Salt Mines and Castles: The Discovery and Restoration of Looted European art,” was used as source material for the popular movie, “The Monument Men.” Thomas’s work was based on his experience when appointed by General Eisenhower to lead a stolen art recovery unit in France. After the war, Thomas became Director of the San Francisco Art Museum where he served for over 20 years. He was also a consultant/contributor to the World War II Oral History Project at the Smithsonian Library in Washington, DC.

Jane’s maternal grandfather, Dr. Harvey Moore, pioneered new gynecology surgery procedures at IU Medical School. It is unknown how this activity may relate to the fact that, at one time, he also served as personal physician to Francisco “Pancho” Villa.

Jane upheld the family standards of a passion for knowledge, a dedication to being useful, and a surpassing kindness. She will be dearly missed and always remembered by her family and friends, including her partner of 42 years, Carolyn Ramsey, originally of New York City, her brother Thomas Carr Howe, II, (Bloomington, IN), Brenda Larson Howe, her sister-in-law (Iowa), nephew Alexander Addison Howe, his wife Sasha Broadstone, their son Arthur Alexander Howe, (Utah), step-daughter, Naomi Miriam Ramsey (Los Angeles), and grandson Cornelius Adeola, (Indianapolis.)

It should be noted that Jane will also be sorely missed by three fur-bearing members of her family: Zoey the dog and Blue Cakes and Charlie, the family felines. Jane loved animals, especially the numerous West Highland Terriers she raised over the years (Bizzy, One & Two, Rugsby Rutherford, III, Sassie, and Sophie). She was a generous sponsor and advocate for homeless and abandoned cats and her contributions to the Windridge Community Cats program included (along with Carolyn and Cornelius, in the midst of a bout of Covid!) fostering a group of wild-born kittens and ensuring that each of them found a loving forever home.

Jane was preceded in death by her younger brother Addison Armstrong Howe Jr. and her parents.