L. Wilson Howes
2010 Hall Of Fame Inductee
MADA is proud to recognize L. Wilson Howes (1928-2006) as our first inductee into the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association Hall of Fame. Mr. Howes, known to his family and friends as Wilson, was born in Baltimore and graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in 1947. He joined the Navy that same year and served as an engineer aboard the USS Albemarle. In 1948, he took part in Operation Sandstone, witnessing a test of the atomic bomb at the Eniwetok Atoll in Marshall Islands.
Wilson began his post-Navy career at Western Electric Co. but soon after took a job as a salesman at Wilson Pontiac in 1952. Six years later, he became vice president and general manager. He bought the dealership in 1970 and became a Honda dealer in 1973. Mr. Howes owed his business success to a single philosophy, “Take care of the customers because there isn’t an endless supply of them.”
Throughout his career, Wilson was the recipient of numerous awards and prestigious recognition. He served two terms as President of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association, as well as serving on the board of the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association. Wilson represented Maryland as the 1995 TIME Magazine Quality Dealer of the Year nominee.
