Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues of Frank
Shelley Zedeck
I am sorry that I cannot be here today to help celebrate the life of Frank, but I appreciate the opportunity to convey some remarks.
Those who have already spoken or are about to speak most likely have addressed the academic and career accomplishments of Frank: his distinguished record as an I-O psychologist, as a general psychologist, as a consultant. Many have or will recount stories about adventures with Frank, his love of travel, his sense of humor,his enjoyment at telling stories, his generosity to others, even to those he did not know well, and to his pleasure in having the last word!
I want to devote some time to recalling some vignettes that relate to Frank and me, which also say something about Frank, the person.
The first story goes back to 1965, when I first met Frank (which probably means that I know him longer than most attending this memorial, except for his family). I was a beginning MA student in the I-O program at Bowling Green (Bowling Green did not begin a PhD program until 1967) and arrived from Brooklyn to the farmlands of Ohio (very flat fields of Bowling Green). One of the first people I met was Frank, who was beginning his second year in the program. Frank was very helpful in orienting me to the program and providing advice, and throughout the years, Frank never stopped providing advice, whether asked for or not. He made it easier to adjust to being in grad school and to living in a city that had less of a population than my neighborhood in Brooklyn. We established a relationship that saw us start a new journal together, plan and hold a conference on performance appraisal, and co-edit a volume. I always enjoyed working with Frank— he stimulated you and challenged you, which always produced a better final product.
Second, to provide a short insight into Frank’s impact on my family, let me tell you about the time when my youngest daughter, Tracy, was looking into colleges. She identified the University of Colorado as one to check out. I called Frank and said we would be in the Boulder area and perhaps we could get together for dinner on Saturday night. He said he would do better; he would meet us at the campus and show us around the university and city. I agreed—thought it was great that Frank would take time out to show my daughter Boulder.
I went out first to Boulder, on a business trip, and stayed with Wayne Cascio. As was typical of Wayne, he got up early on a Friday and flew somewhere, and so I was alone in his house. And I developed a medical problem that resulted in calling 911 and being taken to a hospital in Golden, Colorado to treat an enlarged prostate. The treatment was the insertion of a catheter, which allowed me to meet my family that Friday evening and then go on to Boulder. I called Frank to tell him the plans might change because of the medical situation and the first thing Frank said, to show his generosity, is that he would share his Flomax with me. Not knowing at that time about Flomax, I declined Frank’s generous offer of drugs but was pleased that he would meet us at the university the next day.
On the next day, Saturday, Marti, Tracy, and I sat through a dean’s orientation for prospective students and when it concluded we went out on a veranda and there was Frank waiting. I introduced Frank to Tracy and asked Frank to tell her about the university. Frank points to and proceeds to say, “There is where you hike, there is where you bike, there is where you backpack.” Tracy responds, “I am going to Boulder!” I interrupt and tell Frank “Tell her about the academics of the university,” and so Frank says, continuing to point, “There is where you ski, there is where you snowboard, there is where you camp.” This time Tracy interrupts and says emphatically, “I am going to Boulder!” Case closed—and I thank Frank for his advice and influence on Tracy’s major life decision!
Third, it is my firm belief that the reason I have spent 41+ great years at Berkeley is because of Frank. And this vignette will illustrate the “serendipity” of vocational psychology.
In 1969, Frank and I were anticipating finishing in spring of 1969 and going on the job market. Frank was recommended by Bob Guion (Frank worked mainly with Guion while I worked mainly with Patricia Cain Smith) to Don Trumbo at Penn State, and it worked out that Frank received an offer, accepted, and his job search was over. About a month later, Guion was asked to be a visitor at Berkeley for a year, beginning fall 1969. Because he had just become chair of the department at BGSU, he declined but suggested they take a new PhD—me. I am convinced that if Frank had not already accepted at Penn State, Guion would have recommended him. And who knows what would have happened to both of us over the next 40+ years. From my point, it has been great at Berkeley—so, thanks Frank, for being the FIRST to get a job!
Finally, I cannot complete a tribute to Frank without talking about the major debate that has existed for 40+ years between the two of us: Who was the FIRST PhD from Bowling Green State University? My view has been that I was the FIRST to go through the PhD defense and congratulated by the committee and faculty for passing; in fact, Frank attended my dissertation defense (students were allowed to attend such meetings). Frank’s view is that at graduation, he received the PhD first, which is true, since they awarded them in alphabetical order. For 40+ years, we “argued” over who is rightfully the “first” PhD and so at this time, at this tribute, let me offer a compromise to Frank—it is possible for there to be ties, so let us agree that we were both “first.”
Frank, we will miss you!