Early life and career

Howard was born in Greer, South Carolina

Greer, South Carolina

Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, between the cities of Greenville and Spartanburg. The population was 25,515 at the 2010 census. It is projected to hit 30,000 within 4 years. Each day, more than three times that number of people pass...

, the son of Narcissus "Cissy" and Davis Milford Howard, who were local agricultural farmers in South Carolina. Grady Howard was elected first Mayor of Spring Lake during the town’s incorporation in 1951.

In April 1951, Howard was appointed mayor of Spring Lake by the General Assembly

South Carolina General Assembly

The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and the upper South Carolina Senate. Altogether, the General...

 following the town's incorporation. He went on to win a special municipal election and continue to serve for 10 years. He served four more years in two later terms and as a result was nicknamed, “Mr. Spring Lake”.

He served as the first president of the Greater Spring Lake Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of commerce

A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

 organized in 1962 and for almost 20 years on the Cumberland County Joint Planning Board. He was active in the Spring Lake Lion's Club and was a past commander of American Legion

American Legion

The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

 Post No. 230 in Spring Lake. He also served as chairman of the Spring Lake Democratic precinct.

Howard held membership in the North Carolina Beekeepers' Association, handling gallberry and gum honey in several farms in Cedar Creek and Harnett County, North Carolina

Harnett County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 91,025 people, 33,800 households, and 24,099 families residing in the county. The population density was 153 people per square mile . There were 38,605 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile...

.

He was a member of Cape Fear Valley Hospital's original board of trustees and a member of Highland Baptist Church in Taylors, South Carolina

Taylors, South Carolina

Taylors is a census-designated place in Greenville County, United States. The population was 20,125 at the 2000 census. Taylors is the Greenville/Spartanburg area's largest suburb although it is not incorporated as a city. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan...

 although he attended the First Presbyterian Church in Spring Lake for more than 50 years.

The Grady Howard conference room was dedicated on June 24, 1979 at the new Spring Lake Town Hall.

Personal life

Howard was married to Elma Pat Walker (1917–2007) from 1941 until his death in 1989. He had one daughter: Dianne Howard Sheppard, who lives in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. He also had two granddaughters: Jami Sheppard McLaughlin, who lives in North Carolina, and Megan Sheppard, who lives in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

.