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SAGAFTRA.org | Spring 2016 | SAG-AFTRA 27 National Board Honors Howard At its April plenary, the SAG-AFTRA National Board passed by acclamation the naming of two of the union's facilities in honor of its late president. The Membership Services Center located at SAG-AFTRA Plaza in Los Angeles was renamed the Ken Howard Membership Center, and the New York Board Room is now the Ken Howard New York Boardroom. Howard presided over the opening of the New York office adjacent to Lincoln Center in January 2014 (top right) and the christening of SAG-AFTRA Plaza in April 2015 (bottom right). as the coach of a diverse basketball team at an inner-city high school. Over several decades on television, Howard would appear in numerous other series, including starring roles on The Manhunter, Crossing Jordan and Dynasty. He earned Emmys for the role of Phelan Beale in HBO's Grey Gardens and as the on-camera narrator of The Body Human: Facts for Boys. Howard also taught acting classes at the American Repertory Theatre Institute and was an instructor at Harvard University. He wrote a book based on his teaching experiences titled Act Natural: How to Speak to Any Audience, which was published by Random House in 2003. Despite his success, Howard was a star who stayed grounded in his art. Both high-profile and everyday working actors remembered Howard in the press and on his memorial wall at sagaftra.org/ kenhoward as a humble man who touched their lives. "When Ken showed up on the 30 Rock set to play Hank Hooper, the owner of Kabletown, he reminded us all of just how funny he was," recalled Alec Baldwin. "He nailed it. So often, union leaders lose a good part of their career as performers. Ken showed up, the head of SAG-AFTRA, and killed us with his take on the character and his timing." George Clooney remembered Howard giving him, as a young actor just starting out, a ride to an audition. Clooney didn't get the part, but did get to work with Howard years later. "It was an honor," Clooney wrote in a remembrance shortly after Howard's death. "His obituary read that he was 6–foot-6, but he was so much taller than that." Kaley Cuoco, Howard's The Wedding Ringer co-star, said she, too, was blessed to have gotten to know and work with Howard. "He was a fantastic actor and a wonderful, kind, hilarious man, and he will be greatly missed," Cuoco said. Howard is survived by his wife of 25 years, Linda Fetters Howard, a prominent stuntwoman and former president of the Stuntwomen's Association of Motion Pictures, as well as three adult stepchildren from a previous marriage. From left, Howard speaking at the White House in 2015, with wife Linda at the SAG Awards in 2014 and receiving the George Heller Memorial Award at the 2015 National Convention. The award, which takes the form of a gold membership card, recognizes members and staff who have made significant contributions to the union. JONAH KOCH AMY TIERNEY MATT PETIT STEPHEN LOVEKIN ANGELA WEISS