Ralph W. Howard, 76, an editor

Ralph W. Howard, 76, of Elkins Park, an editor and publicist, died of interstitial lung disease Sunday at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia.

In 1960 Mr. Howard became director of the newly established news bureau at what was then La Salle College. He was also editor of the school's alumni magazine. From 1969 to 1971 he edited Temple University's alumni magazine. Then for several years he worked in the marketing department of Industrial Valley Bank in Philadelphia.

He returned to Temple in the mid-1970s to be talent coordinator for the Ambler Music Festival. He was an aficionado of many music genres, especially jazz and rock, his family said, and enjoyed dealing with the artists who performed at Ambler.

When the music festival closed in 1981, Mr. Howard became editor of the Temple Times, a weekly in-house newspaper for faculty, administrators, and students. After retiring in 1997 Mr. Howard was a part-time publicist for Temple's Tyler School of Art and was a contributor to Temple's alumni magazine until two years ago.

"Ralph was a newspaper junkie who loved good stories and crisp writing. Like all editors, he loathed typos and pretense," said George Ingram, retired associate vice president of university relations at Temple.

Mr. Howard graduated from Dobbins High School in Philadelphia. Growing up in Swampoodle in North Philadelphia, he was a bat boy at nearby Shibe Park. The experience engendered a lifelong passion for sports, his family said.

In 1952 he joined the Navy and edited his ship's newsletter.

After his discharge, Mr. Howard earned a bachelor's degree in English from La Salle.

He had an eclectic interest in science, history, and arts and instilled in his children the belief that higher education was the key to upward mobility, his daughter Janice said.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Howard is survived by a son, Mark; daughters Mary Lou Gies and Deborah Smith; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. His wife of 55 years, Evelyn Marcelli Howard, died in 2007.

A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at Fluehr Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Rd., Richboro. Friends may call from 9 a.m.

Memorial donations may be made to Temple University, Office of Institutional Advancement, 1938 Liacouras Walk, Philadelphia 19122.