After graduation, he accepted employment with Champion Paper and Fibre Company at Canton, N.C. and moved there to live with his wife, the former Sadie Helen Reed, of Horseshoe, N.C. He worked for Champion for more than 40 years before retiring in the early 1970's. Their only child, a son, Howard Jr., was born in Canton in 1932. Howard continued to distinguish himself as a semi-pro athlete on various teams sponsored by the Champion Company. For many years, he played shortstop on both their baseball team and their softball team, which won several honors at the state level in the semi-pro industrial leagues. For many years, he also played the position of guard on Champion's basketball team, which also won many tournaments and honors at the state level. The individual award which Howard treasured most was the "Sportsmanship" award, which he as an individual won more than once. Throughout all of these endeavors, Howard was noted for his speed , his quickness - and, for good sportsmanship.
In addition to these endeavors, Howard also was Captain of Champion's bowling team for many years, during which time the team traveled every year to the national team bowling championships in various cities around the country. In addition, Howard was a avid golfer, and achieved the golfer's coveted "hole-in-one" a total of five times. This astonishing deed was recorded in local newspapers at the time, especially since one or more of these feats was accomplished in official competition within the Western North Carolina Industrial Golf League. It is interesting to note that at Howard's funeral in April 1997, his son was approached by one J. C. Rich, Jr., a contemporary of Howard's, who said: "You know, son, your father was the greatest athlete ever to come out of these mountains".
In addition to his athletic endeavors, Howard was very active in local civic organizations. He served as President of the Candler Chapter of the Lions Club International, and was awarded a lifetime membership by that organization for his services. In the late 1940's he helped initiate and organize Troop #48 of the Boy Scouts of America, at Candler, and became the first Scoutmaster of that Troop. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, and along with his wife held many positions at the local, regional and state levels in the Eastern Star Organization. He was a member of, and served in various capacities at, Montmorenci Methodist Church at Candler.
In his declining years, Howard's favorite pastime was, as might be expected, the watching of sports, on television. Any sport, any team, any time. At his death in 1997, Howard was survived by his wife who, as of this writing in 2002, still resides in Candler, and by his son, Howard Jr., a retired Army Signal Corps Colonel and aviator who resides in Clifton, Virginia with his wife, the former Joyce Noland of Enka, N.C.
Biography contributed by Howard L. Setzer, Jr.