Mary Brooks Howard

Memorial services for Mary “Brooks” Howard, 81, Frankfort, will be held Saturday, 10:00 a.m. at Good Shepherd Church, Leestown Rd., Frankfort. Father Charles Howell will officiate. Burial will be at Redhill Cemetery, Hodgenville, KY. Visitation will be Saturday, 9:00a.m until time of service, at the church. Mrs. Howard died Wednesday at St. Joseph Hospital, Lexington, of natural causes. A native of Hodgenville, she was a daughter of the late Charles Claudius “Claude” and Hannah Brooks LaRue Williams and was a member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church. She was owner and operator of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home in Hodgenville for over thirty years. She was the first woman President of the Lincoln Heritage Trail Board of Directors and LaRue Co. Chamber of Commerce. She inspired and co-chaired the “Lincoln Days” celebration. She was Assistant Director of Recreation Parks and Historical Sites for KY Dept. of Parks. During her tenure with the department, she became one of Ky’s greatest protectors of history. She worked with numerous administrations, Parks Dept. management, and “equally passionate and determined” park managers directing the restoration of Ky State Parks and Historic Sites; which have become the benchmark by which other state parks are measured. She studied the Principles of Conservation at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, and along with various park managers worked with The Horn Foundation, Joel Oppenheimer of Chicago, Sotheby’s of New York, premier conservation consultants, and members of John James Audubon’s family to ensure that the structures and artifacts belonging to the State of Kentucky would be preserved for generations to come. Major renovations, restorations, and artifact acquisitions completed under Brooks’ direction include the John James Audubon State Park & Museum, Henderson, KY; Waveland Museum, Lexington, Ky; William Whitley House, Stanford, KY; White Hall, the home of Cassius Marcellus Clay, Richmond, KY; My Old Kentucky Home , Bardstown, KY and Boone Station, Lexington, KY. As a direct descendent of Mary Brooks LaRue Enlow Rathbone, earlier pioneer, spouse of John LaRue (LaRue County), a midwife who assisted with the birth of Abraham Lincoln, and grandmother of John LaRue Helm, a two term governor of Kentucky, it was only natural that Mary Brooks Howard would become passionate about Abraham Lincoln and Kentucky history. Brooks received several awards such as Kentucky Historical Society, Award of Distinction for an Individual, 2007; President of the Lincoln Heritage Trail Board of Directors, Appointed to the Board by Gov. Wendell Ford, 1973, First woman to serve as President; Governor’s Advisory Commission on Tourism, Appointed by Gov. Julian Carroll, 1979; Brigade of Kentucky Mounted Riflemen, Honorary Commission presented by Gov. Julian Carroll in recognition of Brooks Howard’s valued support of the Kentucky Economic Development Militia, 1979; Governor’s Task Force on State Parks Development, Appointed by Gov. Julian Carroll, 1979; American Association of State and Local History (AASLH); President of the Hardin County Audubon Society; Kentucky Tourism Council; Kentucky Festival Association; Hodgenville Women’s Club and was a Kentucky Colonel. She was preceded in death by husband, Frederick Fabian Howard, Sr. a brother, Charles Claude Williams Survivors include her daughter, Mary Brooks Howard-Meador, Lexington and son, Frederick Fabian Howard, Jr, grandchildren Ryan and Julia Meador In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Mary Brooks Howard Conservation Fund, KY Dept. Of Parks Foundation Board, c/o Erin Holler, 500 Mero St. 10th Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601; or Crusade for Children; or ST. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Guestbook at ljtfuneralhome.com.

Mary Brooks Howard

October 13, 2010