Photographer who survived four heart attacks. His Fund at The Trust supports education and science.
Howard Z. Leffel (1903-1969)
Howard Z. Leffel never married and had no children, but he had lots of loves in his life. He loved flying and owned his own private plane. He loved photography and ran a professional photo studio as a successful side venture. He also loved riding his Honda motorcycle around New York City. But his first love was photoengraving, and he supervised the engraving department at The New York Times for decades.
Howard was born October 30, 1903, in New Carlisle, Ohio, to George F. and Cora J. Leffel. He had an older brother, Horace. When Howard was a teenager, his family moved to Tampa, Florida.
He joined The Times in 1931, and, after working as assistant superintendent of the photoengraving staff for many years, was named superintendent of the department in 1961. He retired at the end of 1967 because of health issues, plus he wanted to enjoy his hobbies.
After surviving four heart attacks in the early 1960s, Howard died on June 28, 1969, in a traffic accident only a few hundred yards from his Upper West Side apartment. A few weeks earlier, he had returned from England with a new motorcycle to replace his old Honda. As he was pulling out of a parking spot on West 70th Street, his bike was hit by a car, and he was thrown to the pavement.
In his will, Howard asked to be buried in his family’s plot in The Garden of Memories in Tampa. He also established a fund in The Trust for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes.