Charles W. Howard first portrayed Santa as a boy in a classroom play. As an adult he played Santa in a store front window in downtown Albion and then Rochester and Buffalo. This experience encouraged him to perfect the role of Santa Claus. Disheartened by the quality of Santa being portrayed in stores, he created a school to teach the proper appearance and demeanor of Santa. He established the world's first Santa Claus School in the fall of 1937, and it eventually became recognized worldwide. Howard converted his farm in Albion into Christmas Park with a Christmas and Santa theme. The park included Santa's Castle, where he trained Santas in the off-season. He became the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa and retained that distinction for eighteen years until his death in 1966.
