An Ohio University alumnus and the founder of the “Soulful Bobcats” died this month.
Howard Eugene Nolan, who attended OU in the 1950s and served as a university trustee, died Dec. 3, according to a university news release.
Nolan was 77 years old, according to an obituary in the Chillicothe Gazette.
Former trustee Tom Hodson, now the director and general manager of the WOUB Center for Public Media, worked with Nolen on the Board of Trustees.
“He was respected for his business acumen and his unflinching devotion to Ohio University,” Hodson said in an email.
While attending OU in the 1950s, Nolan was the only black student in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. He participated in Alpha Phi Alpha, OU's first black fraternity, and created the “Soulful Bobcats” group, which joins black OU students from the 1950s.
Nolan was the co-founder of Moody Nolan Architecture and Engineering, LTD, which contributed to the construction of the new Baker University Center and the renovation of Copeland Hall, according to the release.
“Howard was a blessing to our University and we are honored by the legacy that he leaves at Ohio University,” OU President Roderick McDavis said in the release. “The Ohio University community will miss Howard and his many contributions to our great University.”
In addition to serving on OU's Board of Trustees, Nolan was a member of the Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees, the Russ College Department of Civil Engineering Advisory Board and the Russ College Board of Visitors. He and his family also established the Moody/Nolan Ltd. Minority Scholarship in the Russ College, according to the release.
Nolan received an Ohio University Alumni Association Medal of Merit in 1998, and in 1999, he was inducted to the Russ College Academy of Distinguished Graduates, according to the release.
“He was a quiet man but when he spoke, others listened and he spoke with authority,” Hodson said. “He was liked by everyone and he was highly respected — not only for his accomplishments — but as a man.”
hm156809@ohiou.edu
