John A. Howard, the long-time chief operating officer for Magruder Color Corporation, passed away on Nov. 6, 2001 in Florida. He was 80 years old.      Mr. Howard joined Magruder Color as COO in 1961, when the Weissglass family acquired the company from Robert Magruder. Allan Weissglass, Magruder Color’s president and CEO, credited Mr. Howard with much of the company’s success over the years.      “John was a truly remarkable man who helped guide us from a small dry color manufacturer in Sta...