A ground-breaking undergraduate scholarship for Indigenous students at the Odette School of Business has been established in honour of local entrepreneur and philanthropist Gregory Anthony (Tony) Howard (BA 1972), who died in December 2020.

UWindsor alumni and brothers Mike (BASc 2001, MA 2005), Bob (BComm 2003), and John Howard (BA 2007) approached the University in August to launch Odette’s first endowed Indigenous undergraduate scholarship to honour their late father, who was a businessman as well as a UWindsor graduate.

“The new Tony Howard Indigenous Peoples Student Award in Entrepreneurship is a meaningful scholarship that supports our effort towards greater equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenization at the Odette School of Business,” says dean Mitch Fields. “This scholarship has helped Odette to embark on our initiative as a business school with a more focused approach on Indigenization and inclusiveness.”

Howard’s sons say they are proud to establish the scholarship to honour the life and legacy of their father.

“Our father was a lifetime entrepreneur, perpetual underdog, and eternal optimist, who aimed to show that the seemingly impossible was possible,” says Bob Howard.

John Howard adds: “His lifetime of philanthropy and generosity was known by all close to him.”

“Our father worked tirelessly to fight for those without a voice and built over 16 clean water drinking wells in Ghana for communities in need. With this scholarship, we hope to provide an opportunity to future generations of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and eternal optimists,” says Mike Howard.

The Howard family says Tony’s love of entrepreneurship and zest for life separated him from the crowd. He was one of the fastest-rising stars within Chrysler Corporation; a highly awarded broker at Manulife; founder of G. Anthony Howard & Associates; and a visionary whose creation of the Canada-based company CANARX — the first international prescription service provider to introduce and supply a public sector program in the United States — continues to improve thousands of lives worldwide.

Tony Howard met with U.S. senators Ted Kennedy and Bernie Sanders to advocate for lower-cost medications for all Americans and was interviewed by Morley Safer on the subject for the television newsmagazine 60 Minutes. His family recalls Tony’s pride to be credited by Fortune magazine as having inspired a 2005 episode of the Simpsons, entitled “Midnight Rx.”

Dr. Fields says the school is grateful to be part of a tribute that represents a lasting honour for an extremely accomplished alumnus.

“We are confident this gesture will inspire others to follow suit,” he says.