Jan 23, 2010

Frank

I just received this note from Frank's wife:


I just got a call from Frank's parents in South Carolina. Frank's body was found this morning at the motel where he was staying near our property where he was building our house. I don't have many more details. I know he's been ill the last few weeks. His parents and I were encouraging him to see a doctor, but he had refused.


I will be shutting this blog down shortly. If someone wants to start a new LANL blog send me email at lanlblog@parrot-farm.net and I will post a link to it.

--Doug

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Frank's passing is a shock. His concern for the workers at LANL will be sorely missed.

My condolences to his wife and parents.

Terrie Barrie

Anonymous said...

I've lurked here for years. My condolences and best wishes to his family. What a shock indeed.

Anonymous said...

A tragedy.

Our sincerest condolences to the family.

Anonymous said...

I'm a daily lurker & saddened to learn of Frank’s death.

My sincerest condolences to his family.

Anonymous said...

Although I never met Frank face-to-face, I've always appreciated his honesty and integrity. He will be missed by many. My condolences to his wife and family.

Anonymous said...

I give my sincerest condolences to
Franks family and freinds. This news has made me really sad.
I remember his picture and story about getting to fly in a WWII bomber just this last Oct.

Anonymous said...

LANL has indeed won the battle against another wonderful human being. All he ever wanted to know was what he got exposed to.

Jim Bergauer said...

I would like the family to know that my prayers are with them.

Anonymous said...

"A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero only one."

Oh, Pinky. I will miss you.

Anonymous said...

Sad, very sad. I hope someone takes on managing the blog. Perhaps someone who was maligned by LANL management and whose career has been ruined? Instead of filling out an upward appraisal survey and getting no results, about taking on managing the blog? Tom Meyer? MyHang Huynh? Mustang SallY? Dave Cremers? JOhn Horne? Martha Zumbro? Etc. etc.?

Anonymous said...

Frank will be sorely missed, and I feel for his family. However, we don't need someone "whose career has been ruined" by "LANL management" to maintain a follow-on blog. We need someone who cares passionately about LANL as an institution, who understands its history and reveres its achievements, and wants the LANL legacy to persevere.

Anonymous said...

I'm at a loss for words. This is very sad. My prayers go out to his family. Frank was a very special guy and will be missed by many who work at LANL.

Doug, please let us know more details when you hear them, if at all possible. Thanks for passing on the news of Frank's death, sad as it was to hear.

Greg Close said...

My condolences to Frank's friends and family. This is really sad news.

Anonymous said...

Such a shame! My condolences to Frank's friends and family.

Anonymous said...

My deepest sympathies to Frank's wife and family. Frank gave so much hope to all of us at LANL. He will be sorely missed.

Neko said...

So sad. My condolences to his family.

Unknown said...

I'm so sorry, unfortunately I'm sure lanl management is celebrating

Anonymous said...

This is sad news indeed. More for his friends and family than anything else.

Take care Frank - you're in a better place now.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Kevin. What with Frank dying and Doug shutting this blog down your job just got a whole lot easier.

We'll miss you Frank.

Anonymous said...

Out of respect & honor to the memory of Frank, I hope this Blog can be continued by others rather than just shutting down.

Doug Roberts said...

"Out of respect & honor to the memory of Frank, I hope this Blog can be continued by others rather than just shutting down."

That's not going to happen, and it has nothing to do with respect for Frank, or his memory. It's time for staff at LANL who are concerned with the direction that the NNSA and LANS, LLC are taking LANL to take an active participation in maintaining an open discussion forum which is not controlled by the LLC.

We are no longer going to hold your hands and do your dirty work for you. Frank, because he is dead. Me, because I am done enabling your aggregate cowardice. In case that was not yet obvious.

If you have problems with how the lab is currently being run, start your own damn blog to let the people who count know about it.

Anonymous said...

thank you frank for all the work you put into this blog over the past few years. the blog helped me realize that the place i idolized in my youth is no longer and moving on not only saved my career, but probably my life. it saddens me that he left without knowing what he was exposed to, and hopefully someone will continue that fight for him. my heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.

Anonymous said...

Doug Roberts said...That's not going to happen, and it has nothing to do with respect for Frank, or his memory. It's time for staff at LANL who are concerned with the direction that the NNSA and LANS, LLC are taking LANL to take an active participation in maintaining an open discussion forum which is not controlled by the LLC.

Ok, that will work also.

Anonymous said...

I am stunned and very saddened. Very very sorry.

Anonymous said...

The Lab has a way of sucking the life out of a person. I hate this place! Rest in peace, Frank.

Anonymous said...

10:26 pm: "The Lab has a way of sucking the life out of a person. I hate this place!"

Well, you need to accumulate the amount of intestinal fortitude that will allow you to just leave. I did it a couple of years ago. You need to forget "LANL" as a positive on your resume - it isn't. The mention of LANL in your resume is now a negative. There is no "excellence" there anymore. Frank at least suceeded in making that point.

DrCloud said...

1/25: 11:00pm said: You need to forget "LANL" as a positive on your resume - it isn't. The mention of LANL in your resume is now a negative.

Fortunately, this isn't universally true. And if LANL tenure begins before about 2000, that earlier experience tends still to be a real plus with many prospective employers.

But this is not the place to debate that point. More worrisome is this:

Doug said: We are no longer going to hold your hands and do your dirty work for you. Frank, because he is dead. Me, because I am done enabling your aggregate cowardice. In case that was not yet obvious.

If you have problems with how the lab is currently being run, start your own damn blog to let the people who count know about it.


This is bleak stuff, no doubt brought on by the tragedy of Frank's passing and, maybe, by having to filter out of this thread the usual amount of hateful screeching and vile slander.

You've done remarkably well, Doug. All the best for the future.

Doug Roberts said...

Thanks, 2:16.

A point of clarification: When I shut this blog down I will do so by turning off the ability to comment on existing posts, and there will be no new posts. The blog will remain up on blogspot.com, as have its two predecessor LANL blogs.

If LANL staff wish to continue to have access to a non LLC-controlled discussion venue, then someone will need to create a new blog for that purpose.

Anonymous said...

Frank Young (1963-2010), RIP.

My condolences to his wife Dorothy, parents, friends, and blog readers.

I IMHO would value if cause of death could be regognized, and further info from his wife, parents, friends, and when and where the funeral is held.

Anonymous said...

"You've done remarkably well, Doug. All the best for the future.

1/26/10 2:16 PM"

I also want thank Doug for all his hard work. I wish I had to the chance to say thanks to Frank also.