While we enjoyed another year of great photographic programs, field trips, and competitions; making new friends and improving our skills; we also lost our friend and the long-time patriarch of our club. Howard Penn our club president passed away in November.
Howard has been the president of the club ever since I joined in 2006. He has served as the club president for over 10 years. His passion for photography was evident every week. I know I always half dreaded and looked forward to any contest involving nature, wildlife, and animals because Howard’s photos were always great. In fact, he combined his passion for photography and the Baltimore Zoo where he served as a docent.
Howard and I shared a passion for wildlife photography. His photos of Bosque-del-Apache in New Mexico, the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, and the Venice Rookery in Florida inspired me to make pilgrimages of my own. Howard started the year out great when one of his photos taken at Bosque-del-Apache was published in “Shutterbug.”
To honor Howard, we have dedicated the Digital Photographer of the Year Trophy to him. We also voted unanimously to make his wife Beth Penn a member for life.
Professor Howard Lewis Penn, 63, a resident of Arnold, died suddenly Nov. 23, 2009 at Anne Arundel Medical Center due to a heart attack.
He was born Nov. 9, 1946, in Bayonne, N.J., and was raised in Louisville, Ky.
Dr. Penn received his B.S. from Indiana University and later received his Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He was married in 1967 to Beth Straus and they came to Annapolis in the fall of 1973. He immediately began his career with the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a Mathematics Professor.
He was a longtime member and President of the Arundel Camera Club; a zoo docent for over seven years at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and President of the London Towne Property Owner’s Association in Edgewater from 1977-1978. Dr. Penn thoroughly enjoyed photography, especially nature and wildlife.
Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Beth A. Penn; his daughter, Rachael A. Penn of Taos, N.M.; two sisters, Sherry Penn of Juno Beach, Fla., and Elizabeth Grove of South Bend, Ind.; and one niece.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Drive, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD 21217 or the conservation organization of one’s choice.
