HOWARD F. COUNCILL, LT, USN
Howard Councill '17
Lucky Bag
From the 1917 Lucky Bag:
HOWARD FOLK COUNCILL
Hickory, North Carolina
"Hick" "Grand Old Man"
YOU might not think it to look at the picture, but here, before your very eyes, you see one of the chief claimants to the distinction of "Old Man of the Navy."
After a brilliant career in the North Carolina legislature, Hick decided to honor us with his presence during our four years of toil here at Annapolis. During all this time he has kept a watchful eye over the younger and more irresponsible members of his class.
The Judge had not been here long Plebe summer when he decided that the gym team needed strengthening, and strengthen it he did. In fact, he filled the bill so well that this year he is skipper of the team.
During Plebe year we had always thought that the Judge's heart was securely held in Hickory, but, after seeing the trail he left behind after Youngster and Second Class cruises, our supposition failed. In Rome and Naples it was countesses and like celebrities; in Nice and Monte Carlo it was the same story; and finally in San Francisco, where we hoped he would redeem himself, his conquests were even more varied.
This thin-haired veteran has weathered many a storm and is due to weather many more, for he is a true son of the Navy. At times during Youngster cruise he had a yearning to settle down in North Carolina and raise chickens and tobacco, but he is thoroughly converted now, and will probably be a skipper before any of us, because of the dignity acquired in many years before the bar in Raleigh and various other places throughout the country.
Best of luck, Hick, but don't lose your animal, if you are ever mistaken for Lively's son again.
Buzzard; gNt (3, 2); Gold Gymnasium Medal (2); Captain Gym Team; Thompson Monocular (2).
The Class of 1917 was the first wartime-accelerated class, graduating on March 29, 1917.
HOWARD FOLK COUNCILL
Hickory, North Carolina
"Hick" "Grand Old Man"
YOU might not think it to look at the picture, but here, before your very eyes, you see one of the chief claimants to the distinction of "Old Man of the Navy."
After a brilliant career in the North Carolina legislature, Hick decided to honor us with his presence during our four years of toil here at Annapolis. During all this time he has kept a watchful eye over the younger and more irresponsible members of his class.
The Judge had not been here long Plebe summer when he decided that the gym team needed strengthening, and strengthen it he did. In fact, he filled the bill so well that this year he is skipper of the team.
During Plebe year we had always thought that the Judge's heart was securely held in Hickory, but, after seeing the trail he left behind after Youngster and Second Class cruises, our supposition failed. In Rome and Naples it was countesses and like celebrities; in Nice and Monte Carlo it was the same story; and finally in San Francisco, where we hoped he would redeem himself, his conquests were even more varied.
This thin-haired veteran has weathered many a storm and is due to weather many more, for he is a true son of the Navy. At times during Youngster cruise he had a yearning to settle down in North Carolina and raise chickens and tobacco, but he is thoroughly converted now, and will probably be a skipper before any of us, because of the dignity acquired in many years before the bar in Raleigh and various other places throughout the country.
Best of luck, Hick, but don't lose your animal, if you are ever mistaken for Lively's son again.
Buzzard; gNt (3, 2); Gold Gymnasium Medal (2); Captain Gym Team; Thompson Monocular (2).
The Class of 1917 was the first wartime-accelerated class, graduating on March 29, 1917.
Loss
Howard was lost on July 31, 1926 when the plane he was piloting crashed near Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. The crewman aboard was also lost.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In January, 1916, Howard was awarded a gold medal at the Naval Academy for being the premier all-round gymnast.
Howard had duty on the Pueblo from April 7 to December 6, 1917. He then had temporary duty on the Pittsburgh until December 12 when he was enroute to the U.S. to await orders. On March 20, 1918, he was sent to the Navy Yard in Norfolk in connection with the fitting out of USS Maui (ID 1514) and duty as Ordinance and Gunnery Officer, and also the Communications Officer. That ship was in service as a troop transport in 1918-1919.
His father William was a judge.
He was survived by his mother. Howard is buried in North Carolina.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
March 1918
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September 1924
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March 1925
May 1925
July 1925
October 1925
January 1926
Memorial Hall Error
Howard's last name is spelled with two Ls; Memorial Hall has only one.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
