(1927 – 2012)
Laurine Lavender Howell is remembered as being a true “Extension Home Economist,” in the days before that terminology was replaced by “Family and Consumer Science Agent.” Coworkers and friends have remembered her for hosting luncheons and dinner parties where attention to even the smallest detail was followed. That same ethic applied to her Extension work.
Ms. Howell graduated from the University of Alabama in 1949 with a degree in Home Economics and began her career with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System as a Home Economics Agent in Butler County, where she remained until her retirement. She was active in her professional association, the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Science, during her working years.
After retirement, Ms. Howell moved back to her hometown, Newbern, to be near her family. She passed away on December 25, 2012. According to her obituary in the Greensboro Watchman, she had left strict instructions to keep her funeral service brief. She had instructed the pastor to read Psalms 23, recite the Lord’s Prayer, and read the poem “Crossing the Bar.” Those who knew Ms. Howell were not surprised at her wishes or her detailed instructions.
Epsilon Sigma Phi honors Laurine Howell for her dedication to providing Extension education for Alabamians by placing her name on the dedicatory plaque at the Extension Memorial Chapel.
Chapel Pla9ue Inscription Number: 579
