ALUMNI NEWS
My Dad is My Hero – A Tribute to Frank Christian S1937 Frank Christian S1937 celebrated his 101st birthday on November 5, 2020. Born in Chicago, he attended SJMA for nearly four years. Frank earned the rank of Corporal in Company C, won the June Competition and the Winter Drill Competition, and was a member of the glee club, varsity basketball team, crack squad, rifle team, and spur club. He was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army and served in Germany and England during World War II. At age 27, when his father passed away, he took over the family business, the Merit Casket Company. He and his wife, Ruthann, had five children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. The following is a tribute to Frank, written by his daughter Barbara Christian: Frank Christian S1937 celebrating his 100th birthday in 2019
When Dad attended what was then St. John’s Military Academy, he received a world-class education scholastically and socially, and that fact showed itself time and time again throughout his life. He always referred to people as ladies and gentlemen. He owned his own company and was always willing to take time to talk with his workers and listen to their ideas. He inherited the company at 26 when his father died. His mother also died young, in her 50s, and he lost his sister in her early 60s. Today, my dad is 101. Dad never cared about exercise, the food he ate, or the quantity. He ate as he lived, with gusto. He didn’t see problems, but rather, challenges, and that attitude helped him deal with everything that came his way. I would be freaking out about something, and Dad would simply say, “Just do this” or, “Try another way.” For him, there’s always a way. Even at 101, he doesn’t let anything stop him, whether it’s putting on his shoes (easy for us, but certainly a challenge for someone in his 100s), moving a desk across the room, or getting into one of those impossible-toopen cookie tins. My dad takes pride in being a craftsman, and he appreciates architecture, history and cars. He also has a great sense of humor; with an endless string of one-liners and always ready to tell a joke to anyone who will listen.
www.sjnacademies.org
He is generous with his family, friends, and workers. Even today, friends and family members will share stories about what Dad gave them and how they will never forget his generosity. And as he goes from one room to another with his walker, he insists that “Ladies go first.” Dad has always been comfortable with guns. Unfortunately, as he became forgetful in his 90s, we decided it was necessary to take his gun. Late one night, he entered the room and said, “Barb, they took my gun. If someone comes in here, I will have to beat them to death.” Always the protector, he now keeps a cane or club next to him. Maybe that’s too much information, but I think it illustrates the impact of his training at St. John’s: to be courteous, strong and a man who will fight to protect the weak. Dad’s love of food is epic. Once long ago my brother, John, wanted a cannoli. Dad drove across town and bought a dozen. On the way home, he decided to have one. By the time he got home, he had eaten 11, saving the last one for my brother and keeping his “mission” intact. When I was home a few weeks ago, he came into the kitchen with no interest in dinner. He just wanted a couple of cookies. Before he left, he saw three boxes of Cora Lee chocolates sent by some friends. I let him open one, and he tried a truffle. Seven truffles later, I took the box away. In the meantime, he had also eaten some fresh pineapple, grapes, and finished with a few more cookies.
Dad never gets sick, not even the flu or an occasional headache. His blood pressure is as good as mine, and his eyesight is sharp. So are his reflexes. If something rolls off the table, he’ll catch it. And he’s still strong as an ox. Not long ago, I broke a glass and was cleaning up the pieces, and he came over and lifted an oak table with one hand so I could clean underneath it. When Mom passed away, she was buried in Indianapolis with her family. At age 91, Dad would get up early, put on his suit and drive three hours to the cemetery to visit her. Then, he’d turn around and drive home. The influence of St. John’s occupies every part of my dad, from the stories (like the time he snuck out of the barracks to go to a local restaurant called Shep’s), to the people, the examples and discipline he learned, and the experiences he enjoyed. Dad always dressed nicely (he loved his Italian suits) and always kept his shoes shined. Even when he coached my brother’s Little League teams, he would take off his jacket, coaching in his suit pants, dress shirt, and leather shoes. That’s just my dad. Thank you, St. John’s Northwestern Academies, for your super training of my dad!
14
