Lois Howe McClure: an active life enriched by a commitment to philanthropy

Lois Howe was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1926 to David W. Howe and Marjorie Roberts Howe. She and her two younger sisters grew up near their school and their maternal grandmother’s home, immersed in family history, community service, and a love of learning. Her father, a University of Vermont graduate and WWI aviator, led civic initiatives and managed the family newspaper, The Burlington Free Press. Her mother nurtured her daughters’ appreciation for literature, arts, and philanthropy. Lois remembered two extraordinary grandmothers—Nellie Roberts, a storyteller, and Annie Bean Howe, whose active life and philanthropy left a lasting mark. Early experiences, from watching the ice being cut on Lake Champlain to receiving a typewriter in the fourth grade, to summers working the linotype machine at The Burlington Free Press, inspired a lifelong curiosity in emerging technologies.

Lois attended Burlington High School and graduated from Mary Burnham School in Massachusetts before enrolling at Vassar College. She left college during WWII to marry a former schoolmate. Personal tragedy struck when her eldest daughter succumbed to polio, and after her first marriage ended, Lois devoted herself to raising her two daughters while remaining closely connected to family and community.

In 1954, Lois married Mac McClure, creating a blended family with her daughters and Mac’s sons. Their partnership combined business ambitions, optimism, and dedication to civic life. Together, they raised their children in South Burlington, maintained active social lives, and served community causes. Lois was deeply involved in her community, becoming a scout leader, hospital auxiliary member, and serving on various boards, reflecting a family tradition of giving “time, talent, and treasure.”

Civic Engagement and Transformative Philanthropy

Lois’s commitment to community extended beyond her family. She volunteered with the American Cancer Society, the Red Cross, and local hospitals, inspired by her grandmother Annie Howe and the young children she lost. She traveled to support Mac’s newspaper work and learned new business approaches while continuing her education in Rochester, earning a sociology degree from Nazareth College in 1975. Lois applied her knowledge on boards and nonprofits, including Nazareth College, Champlain College and the University of Vermont, earning a reputation as being thoughtful, curious and energetic.

Lois and Mac’s early philanthropy was wide-ranging. They supported libraries, hospitals, historic preservation, environmental conservation, and the arts, often as lead donors or through challenge grants. Their gifts enabled restoration of the Lake Champlain steamboat Ticonderoga, expansion of the UVM library, creation of the McClure Center for School Programs at Shelburne Farms, and construction of the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. Lois’s giving also directly improved lives through affordable housing and respite care, guided by insight, personal loss, humility, and compassion. Later, with her daughter Barbara’s encouragement, Lois’s philanthropy became more focused on understanding and improving career awareness and workforce training in Vermont. Colleagues recall her as relentlessly positive, deeply committed, and profoundly human in her approach to philanthropy.

Later Life and Legacy

In later years, Lois remained active while caring for Mac during his Alzheimer’s disease. As President, she oversaw the McClure Foundation, nurtured family connections, and celebrated great-grandchildren, while maintaining her love of the outdoors, gardening, and reading. Her concern for aging and healthcare led to a $5 million gift to endow the Center on Aging at UVM, reflecting her commitment to dignity and well-being. Since her death in January, 2025, Lois’s legacy endures through the organizations, communities, and families she has touched. She is recognized as a model Vermonter, a thoughtful philanthropist, and a steadfast advocate for community, education and career training, inspiring all who know her with warmth, wisdom, and unwavering dedication.