Harper scholarship memorializes Daily Herald editor

A Harper College spokeswoman has established a scholarship in the name of her mentor Audrey Howard, a Daily Herald editor who died of cancer at her Elgin home in May 2008 at age 47.

"I've been blessed thus far in my career - first as a journalist and now here at Harper - to have had a series of great mentors and bosses who make me a better employee and a better person," said Erin Brooks. "Audrey was one of them."

A 1978 graduate of Wauconda High School, Howard worked as a reporter and copy editor for Lerner Newspapers before joining the Daily Herald in 1993. She loved playing softball and her pet peeve was bad grammar.

"Audrey taught me that the details really do matter in life; at the same time, she encouraged me not to take myself too seriously," Brooks said. "Audrey was a tireless advocate for those who needed help, and so establishing a Harper scholarship in her name made perfect sense to me."

Howard married her life partner of almost 22 years in Canada, where same-sex unions are legal. The Audrey Howard Memorial Scholarship will be offered to students who show leadership in the college club Harper Pride.

Brooks hopes to raise enough money to make it an endowed scholarship. People interested in donating to the scholarship, in starting one of their own, or in donating to one of the many existing scholarships should go to harpercollege.edu/giving or contact Katherine Sawyer at (847) 925-6319.