J. Haworth Jonte Award Winners

The J. Haworth Jonte Award for the Most Improved Collegiate Chapter was established by Conclave Motion 41 at the 2002 Conclave in Madison, Wisc., to recognize the collegiate chapter that demonstrates the most improvement over the previous biennium. The winning chapter is selected by the district counselors.

Dr. Jonte, Beta Beta 1941, (known to everyone as “Howie”) received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the College of the Pacific, where his father, J. Herbert Jonte, was a professor of geochemistry. Howie went on to graduate school at Washington State University and was initiated by Beta Beta Chapter in 1941. After receiving his master’s degree, Howie joined Shell as an analytical chemist. In 1946, he returned to academia and began teaching at Iowa State University. In 1951, he moved to the University of Arkansas, earning a doctorate degree in 1956. He attended his first Conclave in 1954. After leaving Arkansas, he returned to industry and worked for Texaco in Houston, Texas, where he became involved with the Houston Professional Chapter and served as Southwestern District Counselor.

Howie was instrumental to the creation of Beta Omicron Chapter at the University of Houston. He attended his second Conclave in 1958 and has attended every Conclave since. In 1966, he returned to academia, joining the chemistry department at the South Dakota School of Mines, where he was instrumental in the creation of Beta Phi Chapter. He was elected to the Supreme Council in 1966, serving as Grand Master Alchemist from 1970 to 1972. Howie had the unique opportunity to be at his father’s initiation in 1961 at Beta Pi and also took part in his son J. Michael Jonte’s initiation at Beta Phi in 1973 and his daughter Dorothy Jonte Engelking’s initiation at Beta Phi in 1981. 

Year - Chapter
2024 - Beta Sigma
2022 - Alpha Theta
2020 - Alpha Epsilon
2018 - Gamma Upsilon
2016 - Beta Phi
2014 - Beta Sigma
2012 - Tau
2010 - Beta
2008 - Beta Delta
2006 - Beta Tau
2004 - Gamma Beta