Howard Lyon enrolled as a graduate student in Plant Pathology in September 1949 and studied Forest Pathology under Professor D.S. Welch. In the fall of 1950, he was collecting fungi in the woods near Beebe Lake when he heard that Willis Fisher, Plant Pathology photographer, had given notice of his retirement. An avid photographer himself, "Howie" cut class and went to apply for the job. He was hired and began a photography career which lasted 35 years.

Howie Lyon took hundreds of photos for numerous important publications, the latest being "Diseases of Trees and Shrubs" which was published in 1987 after Howie's retirement.