Kevin Kleine, Senior Lecturer in Communication and Student Publications Adviser
Berry College will be losing part of its heart soon. One of its finest teachers will give his final lecture and grade his final speech in about two weeks. He is a man with the work ethic of a sled dog. After 36 years of service to this institution, Dr. Bob Frank is retiring from the department of communication as a treasured professor and its chairperson.
In May of 1979 I graduated from high school. A few months later Bob was arriving at Berry to teach Speech for the next 36 years. Little did he know at that moment that he would build a communication department in the years to come. Bob is truly the father of our department. He was involved in hiring every one of us in this department. Our department is a reflection of him.
His service at Berry as department chair, professor, academic adviser, committee member and other duties too numerous to mention is exemplary.
His caring nature and rigorous standards in the classroom has placed thousands of competent professionals and communicators in offices across the country. His door was always open to students and the hallway chats became as important as the classroom to many. His former students and advisees are some of the best spokespersons Berry could ever have, in part because many view Bob Frank as the embodiment of Berry ideals.
The contact that Bob maintains with former students remains strong and attests to the influence one person can have in the life of another. My hope is that future Berry students find many professors like Bob Frank to guide and teach them.
Anyone who knows Bob will never forget his unmistakable laugh. I will miss that laugh and his biting sarcasm. As a colleague recently said, sitting next to Bob in a school meeting is a special treat –– while hearing the sarcastic commentary at a volume level that others could hear as well.
Bob can be really laid back, as long as everything goes exactly his way and no one annoys him. But if you do annoy him and get on his wrong side he can go from southern gentleman to speaking “Frankly” faster than you can say “Bless your heart.” I’ll miss Bob bringing that level of engagement to the college experience.
I can think of no faculty member who more fervently supports the First Amendment rights of the student media than Bob Frank. He encourages free and creative expression for all students. He has always supported an environment where students are safe from the fear of publishing unpopular viewpoints. Bob has been a true supporter of all student media and was a catalyst in the development of Viking Fusion. He consistently advocated the causes of student media at Berry.
As a former smoker, I can recall spending many Monday afternoon meetings on the Laughlin stoop consulting Bob about student publication issues or soliciting story ideas to share with Campus Carrier staff. To be honest, this is the thing I miss most about not smoking any more. I loved spending that one-on-one time with Bob and getting his advice.
The Carrier once needed some details about a proposed policy change at the institution that occurred many years prior. I asked Bob if he could recall the discussion at the faculty council meeting more than 10 years prior. I waited a minute or two while he dug into a filing cabinet filled with folders. Moments later he pulled out an agenda, and then the minutes from a faculty council meeting more than 10 years earlier where the policy had been discussed. He even had his hand written notations in the margins of the agenda when discussion took place. These notes of course included his snarky comments about the proposed policy. His archive of Berry meetings and policy history will be missed. Are you willing to pass this archive along to the Carrier staff, Bob?
Another colleague called Bob the Berry Wikipedia. Our student publications staff and I will miss his institutional knowledge and memory.
It’s difficult to articulate all that Bob Frank has done for Berry College and the department of communication over the decades, but I thank you for everything Bob. Best wishes to you in retirement. I will always consider you my mentor, confidant and friend. And now that another chapter in your life begins, I’m certain that good food, travel and more sarcastic comments will follow. I’ll see you at Landmark for lunch.