Howard B. Vreeland Sr., 87, co-founder and owner of Anderson & Vreeland, died June 13 in Bryan OH, USA. Along with Wesley Anderson, he launched the company in 1961, which became a premier distributor and manufacturer of plates and prepress equipment for the graphics industry. Vreeland served as VP of the company until 2001. He was then chairman of the board until his retirement in 2007.

Born in 1920, he graduated from Kingspoint Merchant Marine Academy in New York with a degree in hydraulic engineering. A US Navy veteran of World War II, he married Alice T. Kennedy in 1945, three hours after his college graduation. He was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, Bryan, and Orchard Hills Country Club. He was a past member of the Bryan Board of Public Affairs and at one point served as an umpire for the Bryan Baseball Association.

Vreeland was actively involved in the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) since its inception in 1959, as well as other graphic arts associations. He served as vice chairman of the Solicitation Committee of the FTA, chairman of the Board of Trustees, was a workshop head for two years and received the FTA’s President’s Award in May 2002. Vreeland was also a former director of the Graphic Preparatory Association (GPA), and was the recipient of its President’s Award in 1972. He also received the Marking Devices Association’s President’s Award and was a member of TAPPI.

Surviving are his three children, Alice L. and her husband, Jochen Kuehner; Howard B. Jr. (president of Anderson & Vreeland) and his wife, Ann Vreeland; and Patricia L. Coon and her fiancé, Mike Pennington; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions in the name of Howard B. Vreeland Sr., may be given to the Bryan Area Foundation or the American Diabetes Association.