Howe Military School Catalogs

Howe Military School catalogs through the years were upper quality examples of the better commercial printing. Through most of the twentieth century, the annual tuition at Howe was comparable to the concurrent price of a luxury car. “Howe School” and the School crest were embossed in early years, content printed on glossy paper, and the extensive use of color photos in later years, all were deemed necessary to convince parents that the substantial investment in a private boarding prep school education was worth it.

Here are some representative Howe catalogs through the years. In the early 20th Century some were incorporated in the June issue of the Howe Quarterly so they could be mailed under the School’s periodical permit. This permit use continued for many years even though there was only the catalog quarter for many years.

Howe Indiana 1936

The 1936 catalog had an embossed cover and the first mention of the then-new lay (not clergy) CEO. This catalog and the 1948 book followed the mode of most 1920s presentations.

Howe Military School 1948

The 1948 book aerial campus photo shows a good view of the original White Hall (Lower School) and the original Academic Building. That Academic Building had been destroyed by fire two years previously.

Howe Military School 1954

The 1954 and 1958 catalogs are ebullient about the new Academic Building and new barracks.

Howe Military School 1958

The 1958 catalog displays the new buildings. The sharp black-and-white campus aerial photo has many new buildings identified. The original White Hall is still used for classrooms, but the new Lower barracks is seen. The former Admin Building is now the Quartermasters. The Mansion has become the Administration Building. The Superintendent has moved across Union Street to his new Residence.

Howe Annual Catalog 1965

The 1965 book has a 4-color cover featuring the School Color Guard, a frequent subject of catalog photos. In a proud statement with more than a hint of relief, the School boasted in the 1965 catalog that “All the buildings and equipment of Howe Military School meet the requirements of the State Fire Marshal and the Board of Underwriters and are periodically inspected by them.” The School had come a long way in ten years from the Fire Marshal threats of the late 1940s after the Academic Building fire.

Howe Summer Camp June 30-August 10, 1968

Howe’s Summer Camp was regarded as a source of School admissions, so the 1968 Summer Camp catalog provides illustrations of the camp at the time Howe had a waiting list of prospects.

Howe Grammar School 1893

The 1893 catalog contains a detailed early history of the School, with a wordy rationale for the use of “Grammar” in the School’s then-name. “Grammar” was used in the classical sense of language prep, the School claimed, and not the public school usage for grades 1-8.

Howe Military School 1994

The 1994 catalog has many 4-color photographs, including a large aerial photo of the campus with all buildings identified. The text content is excellently written and detailed, especially the course descriptions for both Upper and Lower Schools. The Chapel involvement in cadet life is still prominent. Forty per cent of the School’s annual budget came from alumni contributions.

Howe Military Academy 2014

The 2014 catalog is actually an older catalog made current by pasting labels over the former website www.TheHoweSchool.org with the label www.howemilitary.org to hide an earlier effort to drop “Military” which was itself quickly dropped. This catalog has many uncaptioned photos and not much text. An insert of text on white paper contains 2014-2015 enrollment information. As is evident in the photographs, twenty per cent of the enrollment was comprised of international students.