Helping Dreams Become Reality

Combining a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Iowa State (1946) with a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard (1948) turned out to be the perfect combination for Stan Howe’s successful manufacturing career.

In fact, Stan and his wife, Helen, have been giving generously to Iowa State for quite some time as thanks for their excellent educational opportunities. In 1999, the first phase of the new Engineering Teaching and Research Complex (ETRC) became a reality and was named Howe Hall in honor of the couple’s $6 million donation to the project.

Stan is chairman emeritus of the board of directors at HNI Corporation of Muscatine, Iowa, formerly HON Industries. The Howes’ gift to establish Howe Hall was supplemented with an additional $1 million in furniture from HON Industries, which became HNI Corporation in 2004.

The ETRC is a state-of-the-art home to the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, the virtual reality applications center, engineering distance education and the center for industrial research and service. Thanks to Stan and Helen’s flagship efforts, the facility will create a more practice-oriented and collaborative approach to engineering education for generations to come.

With other contributions, Stan and Helen have established the Howe Engineering Fund and the Howe Annuity Trust. “I got a good education at Iowa State, and I met a lot of well-educated engineers. It’s been very important to me,” says Stan, who spent his entire career with the same growing company.

Shortly after returning from Harvard, Stan went to work for Muscatine’s Home-O-Nize Company. “I was employee number 21,” he says. That small Muscatine business later became the HNI Corporation, now the second-largest office furniture manufacturer in the world, and the largest manufacturer of fireplaces. He would stay with the company for 50 years, becoming CEO, president and chairman of the board of directors.

Although Helen attended ISU from 1945 to 1947, it was not until she had been teaching elementary education for five years that she met, and later married, Stan. The couple has four children and five grandchildren.

Helen, as well as her husband, has strong ties to Iowa State programs. She has been a participant in (and supporter of) the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics since 1992. “It’s been a real pleasure for me, and it makes me feel more a part of the projects to which I’m giving. The students will oftentimes keep in contact with me after they graduate.”

The Howes return to campus several times each year for special events, and at a recent VEISHEA celebration, Helen was made an honorary alumna of Iowa State. Stan is an ISU Foundation governor and has received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the ISU Alumni Association.

As for the road ahead, Stan has confidence in where his alma mater and the College of Engineering are headed. “The future will be great if they keep doing such a good job,” he says. “The world today certainly needs more engineers.”