Howe Military Academy

What Howe Military Academy does

Howe Military Academy was a private Episcopal-affiliated military preparatory school in northern Indiana that operated from 1884 until its closure in 2019. Founded through a $10,000 bequest from banker-lawyer John Badlam Howe to the Episcopal Diocese of Indiana, the school hosted an Army Junior ROTC unit from 1918 until closure. The school reached peak enrollment of 458 students in 1966-67 but declined to under 100 by the late 20th century due to anti-war sentiment affecting military prep schools, an aging physical plant, and operating deficits that ultimately consumed the endowment.

Following closure, the Howe Military School Alumni Association, Inc. (HMSAA) — an Indiana 501(c)(3) not-for-profit chartered in 1972 — became the primary vehicle for institutional continuity. HMSAA preserves 135 years of memorabilia at the Howe Alumni Club in Sturgis, Michigan (founded 2000 by Jim Weiss '53), and has digitized 14,708 pages of Tatler yearbooks spanning 1923-2019 along with weekly Howe Herald newspaper archives from 1908-2007. The former campus was sold for a reported $3 million to the World Olivet Assembly (now Great Commission University), with proceeds funding Howe Legacy Scholarships administered by the LaGrange County Community Foundation that award $5,000 to ten students annually.

HMSAA engages 4,840 documented alumni through an email newsletter reaching approximately 1,000 contacts, two Facebook groups, annual Alumni Weekends in Sturgis, regional gatherings across Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Kentucky, and Michigan, and YouTube historical content. Revenue is generated through tax-deductible donations, merchandise sales via Printify, and a planned paid download offering for digitized yearbooks. The organization operates without compensation to officers and directors, with no venture, private equity, or public backing.

Name

Howe Military Academy

Legal name

Howe Military School Alumni Association, Inc.

Website

https://howealumni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Closed

Short description

The Howe Military School Alumni Association preserves the 135-year legacy of a closed Episcopal military preparatory school, maintaining memorabilia, digitized yearbook and newspaper archives, regional gatherings, and legacy scholarships for 4,840 documented alumni.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alumni Association Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) & Officer Candidate Schools (OCS/OTS) (EDAHAOAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alumni Communications, Marketing & Publications (EDALAOAF), Alumni Events, Reunions & Regional Chapters (EDALAOAG)

Keywords

• Private military education
• Alumni association services
• Historical archive preservation
• Legacy scholarship programs
• Military preparatory school

Headquarters

HQ city

Howe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The alumni association generates revenue through tax-deductible donations from alumni and supporters. The Association is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. Donations support preservation of memorabilia, digitization of yearbooks and newspapers, and alumni events.
2. Scholarship Administration: The LaGrange County Community Foundation administers Howe Legacy Scholarships funded by proceeds from the sale of the former campus, awarding $5,000 to ten students annually for post-secondary education.
3. Potential Future Revenue: Plans to make digitized Tatler yearbooks available for download for a modest fee in the future.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Howe Military School Alumni Association (HMSAA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves the legacy of Howe Military Academy, which operated from 1884 to 2019. The association maintains digitized historical archives (Tatler yearbooks, Howe Herald newspaper), administers annual legacy scholarships, organizes alumni reunions and events, sells branded memorabilia, and serves a network of 4,840 documented alumni.

Product overview

Howe Military School Alumni Association operates as a centralized alumni engagement platform rather than a traditional software product. The organization maintains a portfolio of historical publications and archival services including the Tatler Yearbooks (digitized 1923-2019, 14,708 pages) and The Howe Herald newspaper (1908-2007, now continued as periodic newsletters). Additional offerings include the physical Howe Alumni Club in Sturgis, Michigan, the Howe Legacy Scholarship program, and extensive school memorabilia archives. The Association is an Indiana not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation chartered in 1972 to support alumni interests.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Howe Legacy Scholarships

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LaGrange County Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The LaGrange County Community Foundation administers the Howe Legacy Scholarships, funded by proceeds from the sale of the former campus. They announced inaugural recipients in 2026, awarding ten students each a $5,000 scholarship for post-secondary education. Four Howe alum relatives were identified among initial recipients.
• World Olivet AssemblyminorOthers · 1 January 2024The former Howe Military School campus was sold to the World Olivet Assembly for a reported $3 million. Great Commission University is the present owner of the campus.
• University of Notre Dame Preservation StudentsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021HMSAA assisted six graduate students in Architectural Preservation at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend with their research into the John B. and Frances Howe House (Vicarage) to nominate it for the National Register of Historic Places.
• Great Commission UniversityminorOthers · 1 January 2000Great Commission University is the present owner of the former Howe Military School campus. They kindly allow drive-through visits and annual photo at St. James Chapel during Alumni Weekend as a courtesy to HMS alumni.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Marion Military Institute: Alabama-based military junior college with early commissioning program. Similar Army JROTC hosting model and small-school military prep heritage that Howe experienced during its final decades.
• Army and Navy Academy: California-based private military boarding school still in operation. Comparable in target market (boarding cadets seeking military-structure education) and in maintaining an active alumni association similar to HMSAA.
• Culver Academies: Indiana-based private boarding school with a military program and a long-running predecessor (Culver Military Academy) that Howe founder John Heyward McKenzie led. Same military prep school heritage, Episcopal-adjacent roots, and alumni association model.
• Massanutten Military Academy: Virginia-based military boarding school (closed 2018). Another recently-closed peer with comparable operating model and likely comparable alumni association preservation efforts as Howe.
• Fork Union Military Academy: Still-operating private military boarding school in Virginia with Baptist heritage. Directly comparable in operating model (private military prep), alumni association structure, and historical brand stewardship.
• Hargrave Military Academy: Virginia-based private military boarding school (closed in 2024 after 115 years). Most analogous peer as a recently-closed military prep school that faced similar enrollment and financial pressures to Howe.
• New Mexico Military Institute: State-supported military junior college and high school (one of the few still operating). Comparable JROTC program structure, alumni engagement model, and historical military prep heritage.
• Valley Forge Military Academy: Pennsylvania-based military boarding school that ceased military operations in 2018 and transitioned to a traditional junior college. Provides a useful peer benchmark for post-closure institutional transition.
• Riverside Military Academy: Georgia-based private military boarding school that has continued operating, providing a direct comparison to Howe's pre-closure operating model and alumni engagement practices.

Others

• Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States: Industry association representing the ~28 remaining U.S. military schools. Not a direct competitor but a useful peer for understanding the broader military prep school ecosystem and HMSAA's consulting opportunity to peer alumni organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/howemilitaryalumniassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Howe Military Academy