 Howard Fulwood |
Visit the Manatee Viewing Center during the colder months and you’re apt to see, not one, but two Howards of special interest to Tampa Electric!
Tampa Electric retiree Howard Fulwood, at right, first began volunteering at the Manatee Viewing Center in 1990. For more than 10 years, Howard has made representing Tampa Electric Company to residents and visitors a priority when he is in Florida. He has served as a team leader for the hosts, scheduling host duty times. He makes sure that operations run smoothly, and guests enjoy their visit.
His friendly smile, attention to detail, and genuine concern for people have been an important asset to the success of the center.
Now hanging out in the warm water discharge canal next to the center is his namesake, Howard the Manatee TTB079.
Researchers from the Florida Marine Research Institute captured Manatee TTB079 on December 29, 2001. Some manatees have been named after the place or time that they are found or the shape of their scars.
Some were given Shakespearean names, but not Manatee TTB079. The researchers decided to name TTB079 after Howard, who has dedicated so much time to the Manatee Viewing Center. Arriving at 5 a.m. each day to open the doors for the researchers, he helped make sure that coffee and hot chocolate were available on those 40-degree mornings.
If Howard the manatee behaves typically, the closest family tie he will have is with his mother.
Mother and calf typically stay together for about two years and then go their separate ways. Adult manatee males do not form family bonds.
 Howard and Jean |
This is certainly not the case with Howard the volunteer. Howard and his wife, Jean, have been married for 46 years. At left, he enjoys spending time with her, whether it’s in the gift shop at the Manatee Viewing Center or in the Carolinas. And why wouldn’t he? Everyone loves Jean. Community residents as well as international guests drop by the gift shop to say hello to the lady with the quick smile.
On your next visit to the Manatee Viewing Center, be sure to look for Howard and Howard! Also see the manatees take refuge in the warm water discharge canal when Tampa Bay temperatures dip below 68 degrees. The center is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., November 1 through April 30.
