W.S. “Babe” Howard has long been regarded as the most well known person in Millington, TN. His life’s work has been with Millington Telephone Company, a business his parents started in 1928. One of the last in a dying breed of small- town, independent telephone operations, the company was a lifeline for the people of Millington during the Depression, offering 24-hour service and refusing to cut off those who couldn’t pay their bills.
In the early 1980’s, Babe brought a baseball diamond to Millington, a field where he has hosted the very best in amateur baseball from around the world. Most recently, he spearheaded an eleventh-hour effort to preserve a massive section of the Wolf River threatened by development. He also owned Old Timers restaurant, a place on which both Millington residents and visitors from far away depend for southern cooking.
Babe civic involvements were numerous, including the TN Parks and Greenways board, the Millington Airport Authority board, the Federal Prison board, the Shelby County conservation board, the Millington Chamber of Commerce, and the Lions Club.
1928
1998
“‘Make customers and community top priority. Let them know you care and get involved.”
