Frank was born in Oakland, California, in 1937. After the loss of his father in 1939, he and his mother moved to Oceanside, where Frank worked at the MiraMar Restaurant throughout high school to support them both. A standout student at OHS, he served as an officer in both the Latin Club and Bible Club, earned lifetime membership in CSF, and received the DAR History Award and Bank of America Math and Science Award. He also excelled in athletics, winning an Avocado League track final, and graduated as valedictorian. His peers recognized his promise, voting him “Most Likely to Succeed.”

In 1959, Frank graduated cum laude from Occidental College with a B.S. in Physics. He went on to pursue graduate studies in physics and electrical engineering at Columbia University, where he also served as the head teaching assistant in the Physics Department. From 1961 to 1972, Frank worked for Hughes Aircraft Company and NASA. As a design engineer, he developed the power control system for the Surveyor lunar soft-landing spacecraft. He also played a critical role in the Apollo program, managing the computer, video, and telemetry ground support systems.

He was stationed at Honeysuckle Creek in Australia when the world watched Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon, footage relayed through the very systems Frank helped oversee. Later, Frank joined RCA Global Communications, where he served as hardware manager under a contract with the Shah of Iran. In the 1970s, he oversaw the implementation of computer-controlled switching systems across Iran’s major cities. In the 1980s, Frank served as the Vice President of Network Communications at Credit Suisse in Manhattan. Until his retirement in 2001, he was responsible for the design, implementation, and daily operations of the firm’s computer networks housed in the World Trade Center. On September 11, 2001, Frank survived the terrorist attacks on the towers. A brilliant engineer and resilient individual, Frank’s career spanned pioneering achievements in aerospace, global communications, and financial infrastructure, all while bearing witness to—and surviving—some of the most significant moments in modern history.

Honor awarded posthumously.