Octogenarian Medalist

Citius, Altius, Fortius. The words in Latin mean “faster, higher, stronger.” They characterize the aims of Marcus Stuart Howard, a member of the Glendale Second Ward, Glendale California Stake.

At the age of eighty-three, Brother Howard won a gold medal in the shot put and a bronze in horseshoe pitching at the World Senior Games, held October 1989 in St. George, Utah. And in 1990, he earned a silver medal in baseball at the Senior Sports Festival sponsored by the city of Burbank, California.

Always wanting to improve himself, Marcus has given his best to be precise. Whether he is throwing a ball with keen accuracy or making straight rows in his vegetable garden, Marcus Howard is pursuing and has always pursued excellence.

As a young man, he scored first place in the civil service examination on botanical species, qualifying him to work in landscaping for the Board of Education. With his sunny disposition and his love for plants and birds and nature, he coaxed flowers and shrubs to thrive around public buildings. Even after retirement, he worked hard at various jobs until he reached age eighty-one.

He and his wife, Helen Young Howard, had seven children and lived in Glendale for more than thirty-seven years.

Brother Howard recalls that the excitement of participating in the senior games was wonderful. “Your heart pounds, your stomach churns, your muscles ache, and you know you’re really alive. What fun it is to challenge yourself!”—Caroline Howard Wukelich, Pasadena, California