Barbara Howard (May 8, 1920 – January 26, 2017) was a Canadian sprinter and educator. Growing up in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Howard gained national media attention as a sprinter in high school when she completed a time trial that broke the standing British Empire Games record for the 100-yard dash. She was selected as a member of the Canadian

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

team for the 1938 British Empire Games, becoming the first Black woman to represent Canada in international athletic competition. Although she did not place in the 100-yard dash, she helped her team win silver and bronze in the 440-yard and 660-yard

relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switch ...

events. The outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

meant that most international sporting events over the next decade were cancelled, and Howard's window of opportunity as a sprinter ended before she could compete again. After high school, Howard completed

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

training and a Bachelor of Education degree, teaching at elementary schools for more than 40 years. She was the first member of a visible minority to be hired by the

Vancouver School Board The Vancouver School Board (VSB; officially School District 39 Vancouver) is a school district based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A board of nine trustees normally manages this district that serves the city of Vancouver and the Uni ...

. Howard is an inductee of the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame (2011), the

BC Sports Hall of Fame The BC Sports Hall of Fame is a museum located in BC Place Stadium, at Gate A, the main entrance to the stadium, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It collects, preserves, studies and interprets materials that relate to British Columbia's spo ...

(2012), and the

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, ...

(2015).

Early life

Barbara Howard was born on May 8, 1920 in

. She had four older siblings – a brother and three sisters – and her parents were dressmaker Catherine "Cassie" Scurry and American-born

stationary engineer A stationary engineer (also called an operating engineer, power engineer or process operator) is a technically trained professional who operates, troubleshoots and oversees industrial machinery and equipment that provide and utilize energy in vari ...

Samuel Howard. According to family lore, Scurry's father had owned one of the earliest barbershops in the City of Vancouver, the Abbott Street Shaving Parlour and Baths, and during the

Great Vancouver Fire The Great Vancouver Fire destroyed most of the newly incorporated city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on June 13, 1886. It started as two land clearing fires to the west of the city. The first fire was further away from the city and wa ...

of 1886 he had escaped the flames by taking his barber chair and running to the nearby harbour waters. The family lived in

East Vancouver East Vancouver (also called "East Van" or "the East Side") is a region within the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Geographically, East Vancouver is bordered to the north by Burrard Inlet, to the south by the Fraser River, and to th ...

's Grandview neighbourhood. When Howard was eight years old, her father died, and her maternal uncle stepped in to support the family.

Sprinting

Canadian sprinter Barbara Howard running in 1937

Barbara Howard and Nadine Claibourne (Canadian sprinters)

Howard's sprinting abilities were first noticed during her

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

years, when she often ran the final blocks between her house and the school to reach the classroom in time. She became the school running champion for Laura Secord Elementary, and at Britannia High she was known as one of the fastest sprinters in Vancouver. In September 1937, she gained national media attention when she completed a time trial and achieved a running time of 100 yards in only 11.2 seconds – exceeding the standing British Empire Games' record by one tenth of a second. Howard, only 17 years old, subsequently received a spot on the Canadian women's track and field team for the 1938 British Empire Games. She is believed to be the first Black woman to represent Canada in international athletic competition. Travelling to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia for the Games, Howard and her teammates completed a 28-day journey aboard the

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

''Aorangi''. It was the first time Howard had left Vancouver. They arrived at Sydney in mid-January 1938, and over the next few weeks Howard found herself showered with attention from Australian media and sports fans, who were both taken by her personality and fascinated by the "novelty" of meeting a Black athlete. The ''

Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by th ...

'' called her the "most popular girl in the Canadian team". Howard enjoyed her time there and was the recipient of many gifts, including a koala bear toy. However, the immense pressure of the Games, combined with a diet of unfamiliar Australian foods, meant that Howard struggled to perform her best during the 100-yard dash, and she finished in sixth place behind Australian sprinter

Decima Norman Clara Decima Hamilton (), MBE (9 September 1909 – 29 August 1983) was an Australian athlete. She was the only Australian woman who won five gold medals at the 1938 British Empire Games. Biography Norman was born on 9 September 1909 in Ta ...

. Howard was disappointed with her result, but she helped Canada's 440-yard and 660-yard relay teams win silver and bronze medals respectively, running with teammates

Jeanette Dolson Mildred Jeannette Dolson (later ''Cavill'', August 13, 1918 – July 17, 2004) was a Canadian athlete who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. She was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and died in North Palm Beach, Florida, United ...

Aileen Meagher Aileen Aletha Meagher (November 26, 1910 – August 2, 1987) was a Canadian athlete who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics, sharing bronze in the 4×100 metres event. She was also a painter. Life She was born and died in Halifax, Nova Sco ...

and Violet Montgomery. Although Howard intended to continue in her international track career, the outbreak of the

meant that the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

in both 1940 and 1944 were cancelled, and her window of opportunity as a sprinter passed.

Teaching career

After high school, Howard completed training as a teacher at

, and was hired for her first teaching position at

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. It is the location of the head offices o ...

soon after graduation. Returning to Vancouver in 1941, she became the first member of a visible minority to be hired by the

, where she went on to teach for 43 years across multiple elementary schools. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma sorority and volunteered with

Canadian Girls in Training Canadian Girls in Training, or CGIT, is a church-based program for girls and young women aged 11–17 throughout Canada. Girls who join the CGIT vow to "Cherish Health, Seek Truth, Know God, Serve Others and thus, with esus'help, become the girl ...

. In 1959, Howard graduated from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

with a Bachelor of Education degree. According to the later recollections of Howard's former students, her dedication and inventive curriculum made a lasting impression. When asked to teach a class of "brilliant, but underperforming kids," she devised lessons that included having students plan field trips, shadow working professionals, and create their own films. She didn't often speak about her past as a sprinter, but her students from the early 1970s recalled one memorable occasion:

Physical fitness was a priority and softball was our daily game. We hadn't known her impressive sports background, until the day she suggested boys versus girls, with her as captain and she ran round the bases in skirt and heels, laughing her head off as she hit the winning home run for the girls team!

Howard retired from teaching in 1984, but remained active as a volunteer through the

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

. At her local community centre, she led exercise classes and peer counselling courses. In 2010, the Vancouver Park Board gave Howard a Remarkable Woman Award in recognition of "her passionate dedication to inspire others to make a positive difference in their community."

Death and legacy

In the last decade of Howard's life, research into Canadian sports history had triggered new public interest in her story, and her athletic achievements were recognized by an induction into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame (2011), the

(2012), and the

(2015). In 2018, the City of Vancouver announced that it would rename a park near the Cambie Street Bridge as Barbara Howard Plaza. Howard died on January 26, 2017.

References

External links

* *
Seniors' Stories: Sprinter Barbara Howard on Life as an East Van P.E. Teacher
published by the Vancouver Community Network {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Barbara Canadian female sprinters Athletes from Vancouver 1920 births 2017 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1938 British Empire Games Black Canadian female track and field athletes Canadian people of American descent Canadian schoolteachers Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Canada History of Black people in British Columbia University of British Columbia Faculty of Education alumni Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games