Howard W. Peak
{{Short description|American politician (1948–2024)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Howard W. Peak
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Howard Peak.jpg
| order =
| office = Mayor of San Antonio
| term_start = June 1, 1997
| term_end = May 31, 2001
| predecessor = Bill Thornton
| successor = Edward D. Garza
| order2 =
| office2 = Member of the San Antonio City Council for the 9th District
| term_start2 = June 1, 1993
| term_end2 = May 31, 1997
| deputy2 =
| predecessor2 = Thomas Labatt, III
| successor2 = Tim Bannwolf
| order3 =
| office3 =
| term_start3 =
| term_end3 =
| predecessor3 =
| successor3 =
| constituency3 =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1948|12|31}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|11|30|1948|12|31}}
| death_place = San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
| nationality =
| party = Democratic{{Cite web|url=http://www.usmayors.org/usmayornewspaper/documents/05_14_01/garza.asp|title=Ed Garza New Mayor in San Antonio|website=The United States Conference of Mayors|access-date=2012-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413013421/http://www.usmayors.org/usmayornewspaper/documents/05_14_01/garza.asp|archive-date=2009-04-13|url-status=dead}}
| spouse =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater = University of Texas at Austin (B.A.)
University of Texas at San Antonio (M.A.)
| religion =
| occupation = Politician, urban planner
| caption = Peak in 2000
}}
Howard W. Peak (December 31, 1948 – November 30, 2024) was an American politician who served as the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 1997 to 2001. He was succeeded in office by Ed Garza.{{cite web|url=http://www.sanantonio.gov/clerk/Archives/officials1.aspx|title=Elected Officials of San Antonio|year=2010|publisher=City of San Antonio|accessdate=20 December 2010}} Prior to serving as mayor of the city, Peak served as a member of the San Antonio City Council from 1993 to 1997.
Life and career
Howard Peak was born on December 31, 1948, and graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 1967. Peak earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from University of Texas at Austin in 1974. In 1975, he earned his Master of Arts degree in Urban Studies and Environmental Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Prior to entering San Antonio politics, Peak worked as an urban planner.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanantonio.gov/Portals/0/Files/MuniAR/Mayor-Howard-Peak-Records-1984-2001.pdf|title=City of San Antonio}}
During his tenure as mayor, Peak was responsible for the development of a system of greenway trails for the city,Lainey Berkus, [http://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/columnists/lainey_berkus/article/Howard-Peak-His-bag-is-ready-for-hiking-or-5641568.php "Howard Peak: His bag is ready for hiking or Harleys"], 'San Antonio Express-News, July 23, 2014. which were named in his honor after he left office.Jennifer R. Lloyd, [http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Trails-renamed-for-former-Mayor-Peak-4528034.php "Trails renamed for former Mayor Peak"], San Antonio Express-News, May 18, 2013.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sanantoniomag.com/May-2016/Great-Parks-Great-City/|title=Great Parks, Great City – San Antonio Magazine – May 2016 – San Antonio, TX|website=www.sanantoniomag.com|access-date=2016-07-16}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.ksat.com/news/city-employees-volunteers-keeping-san-antonios-greenway-trail-system-safe|title=Rider safety a top priority on city's Greenway trails|last=Gerber|first=Tim|date=2015-11-23|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-16}} The office of Mayor of San Antonio is a non-partisan office, as of 2018.
After leaving office, Peak spent his time on volunteer efforts in the city of San Antonio, including a project to create multi-use hiking and biking paths along the greenway trails. Peak also served as chairman of the Linear Creek Advisory Board,{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanantonio.gov/ParksAndRec/About-Mission/Boards/Linear-Creekway-Parks-Advisory-Board|title=Linear Creekway Parks Advisory Board|website=www.sanantonio.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-28}} and received the State Trail Advocacy Award from the American Trails National Program.{{Cite news|url=https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/columnists/lainey_berkus/article/Howard-Peak-His-bag-is-ready-for-hiking-or-5641568.php|title=Howard Peak: His bag is ready for hiking or Harleys|date=2014-07-23|work=ExpressNews.com|access-date=2018-11-28|language=en-US}}
File:Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System Logotype.png
Peak died in San Antonio on November 30, 2024, at the age of 75.[https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/howard-peak-mayor-san-antonio-greenway-trails-19951624.php Howard Peak, former San Antonio mayor, laid groundwork for city's greenway trail network]
Greenway
The Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System is a developing network of approximately {{cvt|100|mile}} of paved multi-use and accessible trails in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. The concept of building a looped-trail system within the city was originally created by Peak, and the system is named after him.{{Cite web|last=Lloyd|first=Jennifer R.|date=2013-05-18|title=Trails renamed for former Mayor Peak|url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Trails-renamed-for-former-Mayor-Peak-4528034.php|access-date=2020-02-28|website=San Antonio Express-News}}
See also
- Timeline of San Antonio, 1990s–2000s
References
{{reflist}}
{{Mayors of San Antonio, Texas}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peak, Howard W.}}
Category:20th-century mayors of places in Texas
Category:21st-century mayors of places in Texas
Category:Alamo Heights High School alumni
Category:Mayors of San Antonio
Category:San Antonio City Council members