The answer was yes, and suddenly I found myself in the passenger seat chasing presidential hopefuls from one pastoral town to the next. In between his master class in politics and journalism, I learned about his deep love for Colgate, and what a profound impact his years there had on his life and career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Howard arrived in Hamilton in the fall of 1966 by way of Pittsburgh, Pa., where he was born and raised. An English major with a minor in history, he earned Phi Beta Kappa distinction and was a member of the London History Study Group. He was also the recipient of a prestigious Watson Fellowship, which took him across Europe after graduation to explore Jewish history and his family story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a 2020 essay Howard wrote for his 50th Reunion, he described the English department \u2014 specifically the third floor of Lawrence Hall \u2014 as his \u201chome at Colgate.\u201d The classes he took with professors he saw as \u201cgiants\u201d \u2014 Fred Busch, Jonathan Kistler, Wilbur Albrecht, and Jerry Balmuth, among others \u2014 served as the intellectual starting point, his \u201cassiette\u201d (a term he credited to Albrecht) for how he viewed the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A legendary editor-in-chief of the Maroon<\/em>, Howard oversaw the paper\u2019s coverage at a historic time on campus and across the country. A series of racist and antisemitic events rocked the student body and led to the 1968 administration building sit-in, while so-called \u201cOld Colgate\u201d was nearing its end and the first class of women was preparing to arrive in the fall of 1970. \u201cAs a Maroon<\/em> cub reporter, I wrote about silly pranks and fraternity rush,\u201d he said in his 2011 commencement address. \u201cAs editor-in-chief, I wrote editorials about Vietnam, Cambodia, the draft lottery, and the first Earth Day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first bit of national attention Howard brought to Colgate came during his senior year. As opposition to the Vietnam War was intensifying, Howard was part of a student delegation that traveled to Washington to meet with Secretary of State William P. Rogers \u201934, a Colgate trustee. The students believed the war was incompatible with Colgate\u2019s values and demanded Rogers either quit the Board of Trustees or resign his cabinet position. As retold in a 2001 New York Times <\/em>op-ed, their meeting garnered national coverage, but it wasn\u2019t until later that Howard realized Rogers had made actual news with them by hinting at his aversion to the Cambodia invasion. \u201cIf I had listened carefully that day, I might have heard his opposition to the Cambodia incursion,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHe ended the interview by telling us that he would resign from the [Colgate] Board of Trustees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Howard went on to graduate second in his class at Columbia Journalism School before starting his career as a reporter at the Louisville Courier-Journal<\/em>. After five years covering Kentucky state politics and the environment, he joined the paper\u2019s Washington bureau in 1977 (while earning his law degree on the side at the University of Louisville\u2019s Brandeis School of Law).<\/p>\n\n\n\n From there Howard joined Newsweek<\/em>, where he would spend the next three decades, ultimately serving as chief political correspondent and deputy Washington bureau chief. He became one of the most well-known political pundits on television and a regular on Hardball with Chris Matthews<\/em>, The Tony Kornheiser Show<\/em>, The Daily Show<\/em>, and many other popular programs. His 2008 book, The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country<\/em>, was a passion project that became a bestseller. (I think we all know the real reason he chose 13 <\/em>arguments.) In the years following our campaign trail adventure in New Hampshire, Howard was my professional North Star. His advice was plentiful and sacred as I made my way in media and politics. He and his beloved wife of 40 years, Amy Nathan, opened their home and hearts to me, becoming like extended family in Washington. But as I later learned, I was far from the only beneficiary of Howard\u2019s kindness and generosity. He mentored scores of young journalists and Washingtonians over the years, including many Colgate students.<\/p>\n\n\n Last September I got a text message: \u201cAmy and I are in Hamilton!\u201d Howard said. He and Amy were on what would be his last visit to campus. Next came three photos \u2014 a beaming Howard on the quad, he and President Brian W. Casey, and a favorite view from Lawrence Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the days following Howard\u2019s passing, the outpouring of love and admiration for him across the journalism world and beyond was truly incredible \u2014 from the Today <\/em>show to President Joe Biden. Hundreds turned out for a celebration of his life at Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C. It was a beautiful service that included tributes from dear friends and colleagues, as well as his two extraordinary children whom he loved more than anything, Meredith and Nick Fineman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back at the Fineman house after the memorial, I noticed something that made me smile. It was the latest issue of the Colgate<\/em> Magazine <\/em>on the coffee table, proudly displayed atop a stack of books and newspapers. No matter whether he was interviewing U.S. presidents, breaking national news, or preparing to leave this world, Howard never lost sight of where it all began for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-516482694-1-1024x701.jpg\")
Howard (left) and Dennis Riordan \u201970 (right) pictured at a press conference regarding their meeting with Secretary of State William Rogers \u201934 about the Vietnam War<\/strong>. Photo Credit: Getty\/Bettman<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
And in 2010, Howard made one of the most unexpected yet prescient moves of his career \u2014 leaving print journalism to join pioneering online news outlet the Huffington Post <\/em>as a senior editor. \u201cThe chance to dive headlong into the future is one that I don\u2019t think anyone could pass up,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/08\/IMG_6141.jpg\")