Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Howard Pyle BROKAW
Howard Pyle Brokaw, 97, died on December 20, 2013. Brokaw lived an active, dedicated life of two careers, first with E.I. DuPont de Nemours Co., of Wilmington, Delaware, and then in conservation - of nature and of his grandfather, Howard Pyle's, legacy as an illustrator and author.
Brokaw was born October 2, 1916, in Wilmington, to Roberts W. Brokaw and Phoebe Churchman Pyle, daughter of Howard Pyle. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and attended Newark Academy, The Hotchkiss School, and Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and earning degrees in Chemical Engineering. He married Mary Ann Taylor (Dede) in 1942. Brokaw worked for DuPont from 1939 to 1976, holding various positions in manufacturing and marketing, finishing his career as Director of Marketing for the Industrial Fibers Division. He lived in Penn's Grove, New Jersey; Old Greenwich, Connecticut; Akron, Ohio; and, mainly, in Wilmington. From childhood, he was interested in birds and familiar with Pyle's work. While traveling for DuPont he birded in many parts of the U.S. and other countries.
Encouraged by Andrew Wyeth, Brokaw began collecting Howard Pyle's paintings, pen and ink drawings, and books. Retiring at 59, birding and Pyle became serious conservation vocations. Brokaw led, raised money for, or otherwise served: the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, American Bird Conservancy, National Audubon Society, International Council for Bird Preservation, Delaware Nature Society, Delaware Museum of Natural History, World Wildlife Fund-US, American Ornithologists' Union, Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, Delmarva Ornithological Society, Delaware Wild Lands, Forward Lands, RARE Center for Tropical Conservation, Asa Wright Nature Center, President's Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Urban Wildlife Refuge Advisory Committee, Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center, Brandywine Museum and Conservancy, Princeton University, The Studio Group, and Delaware Humanities Council. Howard and Dede were often out-of-doors, traveling to nearby and remote areas of the US and 55 countries.
Most notable were trips Brokaw helped lead for science and conservation in Central and South America and surveys of environmental programs in India. Howard and Dede contributed their collection of Pyle's works, including more than 100 paintings and drawings, to the Brandywine River Museum, Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania. Brokaw wrote on Pyle and wrote, edited or was otherwise indispensable to the production of Wildlife and America, Delaware's Outstanding Natural Areas and Their Preservation, and Birds of Delaware.
Dede died in January 2013. Brokaw is survived by his children: Thomas Clarkson Taylor Brokaw, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; Nicholas Van Liew Brokaw, of San Juan, Puerto Rico; Jeffrey Johnson Brokaw, of Vancouver, British Columbia; Clotilda Brokaw Heimbuch, of Pittsburgh; eight grandchildren; and one great grandchild.
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