olcaptain
Senior Member
This isn't a fish tale but I hope you will allow it.......
I wasn't going to write this but he deserves better. Our grandmothers were friends and I believe they were in the same Sunday school class before we were even born. We were pretty close but remained mainly church buddies until he came to John Love Elementary School in the 6th grade. From that time on, we were almost inseparable through our Senior year in high school.
When I think of Frank (who many of you refer to as "Franklin") I think of books. There were always books at Frank's house. His grandma worked at the main library in Jacksonville and I believe brought home every "discarded" book there for many years. Frank's mom Sylvia worked at a book bindery and had a passion for reading Mystery Novels. Frank's dad ( who passed away when we were in the 5th or 6th grade) constantly studied Atlas's and Maps. His was a meager house but it was rich in books, knowledge, love and learning.
Growing up Frank was a bit frail in stature. Sylvia had Polio as a child and I believe Frank was born premature. I on the other hand, was a "normal" 6 ft, size 12 shoe wearing bespectacled 6th grade boy. I believe our friendship was a match made in Heaven. After Frank's dad passed we began fishing with my Dad. Soon after that we obtained bicycles and we would ride over 50 city blocks to fish on, under and around almost every stretch of the old Trout River Bridge. It was not uncommon for us to make this trek 3 or more times a week and at time we might be riding straight down Main Street at 4:00 AM in the morning!
I never knew Frank to make less than and "A" in anything. If I were to cast him for a TV show today he would be on the first string in "Scorpion." Although his brain was as big as Louisiana, he also loved sports. He was a walking baseball statistics bank and we spent countless hours when we weren't fishing, playing baseball, tennis and shooting hoops.
We graduated from Andrew Jackson Senior High School in 1970 and as I left for Berry College in Rome, Ga Frank went to the University of Florida. I didn't see Frank very much for a while but when Ramona and I married in 1973 he was one of my groomsmen. When he and I showed up in our Tux at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist in Atlanta that day, we added a certain flair to the place like they had never seen.
I'm not sure where it began but somewhere along the line, Frank fell in love with bugs. Perhaps it was the Cockroaches back home that stirred his passion but somewhere something prompted Frank to become a research Entomologist. After leaving Florida, Frank obtained his Masters as well as a PhD from NC State. He began doing research for the USDA and in time he traveled to many of the countries that were mere spots on a flat map that his dad had once studied so diligently. There are many more but I know for a fact that Frank has presented his research in the Pentagon. He presents papers to the Canadian Entomological Society on a regular basis. He has traveled to Australia, Japan and Egypt sharing his knowledge. He has walked on the Great Wall of China and visited Vladimir Lenin's Tomb. He has been recognized time after time as being one of the premier Entomologists in the area of stored grain across our country and far beyond.
Frank married a precious lady named Cheryl 12 years ago. We were all 50 at the time and I was asked to come to Manhattan, Kansas to be Frank's best man. He could've asked many, many others to do this honor but I was the one who made the cut. Other than the Carp fishing that Frank and I did the morning of the wedding, this was one of my all time favorite things!! Ramona and I had a blast being a part of this special day and we even extended our fun by spending a few days in Kansas City before returning home.
So what in the world has prompted this flood of verbiage down memory lane? I thought you'd never ask........
It just so happens that Frank and Cheryl are heading to the Captain's Quarters for a brief visit TODAY!! We have seen Frank since then but we haven't seen Cheryl since the day they tied the knot over 12 years back. I'm not sure if we will play tennis, ride bikes, go fishing or just reminisce but I hope you can see I am really looking forward to seeing my friend once again.
I wasn't going to write this but he deserves better. Our grandmothers were friends and I believe they were in the same Sunday school class before we were even born. We were pretty close but remained mainly church buddies until he came to John Love Elementary School in the 6th grade. From that time on, we were almost inseparable through our Senior year in high school.
When I think of Frank (who many of you refer to as "Franklin") I think of books. There were always books at Frank's house. His grandma worked at the main library in Jacksonville and I believe brought home every "discarded" book there for many years. Frank's mom Sylvia worked at a book bindery and had a passion for reading Mystery Novels. Frank's dad ( who passed away when we were in the 5th or 6th grade) constantly studied Atlas's and Maps. His was a meager house but it was rich in books, knowledge, love and learning.
Growing up Frank was a bit frail in stature. Sylvia had Polio as a child and I believe Frank was born premature. I on the other hand, was a "normal" 6 ft, size 12 shoe wearing bespectacled 6th grade boy. I believe our friendship was a match made in Heaven. After Frank's dad passed we began fishing with my Dad. Soon after that we obtained bicycles and we would ride over 50 city blocks to fish on, under and around almost every stretch of the old Trout River Bridge. It was not uncommon for us to make this trek 3 or more times a week and at time we might be riding straight down Main Street at 4:00 AM in the morning!
I never knew Frank to make less than and "A" in anything. If I were to cast him for a TV show today he would be on the first string in "Scorpion." Although his brain was as big as Louisiana, he also loved sports. He was a walking baseball statistics bank and we spent countless hours when we weren't fishing, playing baseball, tennis and shooting hoops.
We graduated from Andrew Jackson Senior High School in 1970 and as I left for Berry College in Rome, Ga Frank went to the University of Florida. I didn't see Frank very much for a while but when Ramona and I married in 1973 he was one of my groomsmen. When he and I showed up in our Tux at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist in Atlanta that day, we added a certain flair to the place like they had never seen.
I'm not sure where it began but somewhere along the line, Frank fell in love with bugs. Perhaps it was the Cockroaches back home that stirred his passion but somewhere something prompted Frank to become a research Entomologist. After leaving Florida, Frank obtained his Masters as well as a PhD from NC State. He began doing research for the USDA and in time he traveled to many of the countries that were mere spots on a flat map that his dad had once studied so diligently. There are many more but I know for a fact that Frank has presented his research in the Pentagon. He presents papers to the Canadian Entomological Society on a regular basis. He has traveled to Australia, Japan and Egypt sharing his knowledge. He has walked on the Great Wall of China and visited Vladimir Lenin's Tomb. He has been recognized time after time as being one of the premier Entomologists in the area of stored grain across our country and far beyond.
Frank married a precious lady named Cheryl 12 years ago. We were all 50 at the time and I was asked to come to Manhattan, Kansas to be Frank's best man. He could've asked many, many others to do this honor but I was the one who made the cut. Other than the Carp fishing that Frank and I did the morning of the wedding, this was one of my all time favorite things!! Ramona and I had a blast being a part of this special day and we even extended our fun by spending a few days in Kansas City before returning home.
So what in the world has prompted this flood of verbiage down memory lane? I thought you'd never ask........
It just so happens that Frank and Cheryl are heading to the Captain's Quarters for a brief visit TODAY!! We have seen Frank since then but we haven't seen Cheryl since the day they tied the knot over 12 years back. I'm not sure if we will play tennis, ride bikes, go fishing or just reminisce but I hope you can see I am really looking forward to seeing my friend once again.
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