By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A legacy of service to the state’s senior citizens, the University of Alabama and countless hours of volunteer work recently helped Pelham resident Ronald Howard earn one of the top awards from the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.

Howard recently received the Hall of Fame’s Humanitarian Award, which is “awarded annually to a person who has significantly improved the quality of life and welfare of older citizens through personal attention to such basic needs as food, housing, transportation and recreation,” according to the state Department of Senior Services.

Howard maintains a website for the Shelby County RSVP senior citizen volunteer program, and has given many hours of service to the local organization. He previously worked to establish the Osher Livelong Learning Institute at the University of Alabama and in Shelby and Jefferson counties.

He has established a scholarship endowment for five UA adult students, which enabled them to complete their degrees. Howard also has also endowed two scholarships at the University of Southern Mississippi and one each at Samford University and Brown University.

After being forced to retire from Bell South due to cancer, Howard, now a cancer survivor, dedicated himself to volunteering to help others.