ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202
COLLECTION: OGL # 1328
DATES: 1926-1995
SIZE: .75 linear feet
ACQUISITION: The Dr. Richard Frank Papers were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Mary Margaret Frank, Grand Forks, North Dakota in April 1966 (Acc. # 96-2066)
ACCESS: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.
Richard Frank was born on October 7, 1900, in Stuttgart, Germany to Stefan and Berta (Weissenburger) Frank. At the age of 2, the Franks moved to Brussels, Belgium, where they lived until Richard was 18. They had to flee Brussels and move back to Germany due to the German Army's invasion in World War I. He attended and graduated from Technische Hochschule, Stuttgart, Germany in 1921 with a focus in Inorganic and Analutical Chemistry. Frank received his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany in 1925. From 1925-1939, he worked as an industrial chemist until the spread of Nazism caused him to leave his job because of the political situation in Germany.
During the days of November 9-10, 1938, Frank and his family experienced Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. This event marked the first of many violent acts committed by Nazis against German Jews. During those nights Strom troopers came to Frank's home, demanding the youngest male of Jewish heritage come with them. Although Frank was the youngest Jewish male in the home, he escaped arrest because he was ill and in bed. In the Spring of 1939, only months before the war broke out and Jews were stripped of all citizenship rights, he left for America. In 1941, Frank successfully helped his sister, Erna, flee Germany for the U.S. He was unsuccessful however, in helping his parents flee Germany. They were shipped to a concentration camp in Eastern Europe, where they died, probably in 1943.
Frank lived in Milwaukee until 1948, where he worked as a Research Chemist for Harnischfeger Corporation. In 1948, he came to the University of North Dakota as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. In 1956, he was promoted to an Associate Professor. He married Mary Margaret French, head of the Grand Forks Public Library in 1957. He retired from the UND Chemistry Department in 1968.
He was very active in the community and at UND. He was a member of the American Chemistry Society, Sigma Xi and the American Association of Advancement of Science and Chairman of the Speaker's Bureau. At UND, he was on the University Committee on Recruitment for College Teaching and the Scholarship Committee. He introduced the Experiment in International Living and judged numerous Science Fairs. He also published several books in the field of Chemistry.
Richard E. Frank died March 1, 1995 at the age of 94.
The Richard Frank Papers contains his testimony and those of others on the debate over Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) Destruction and its effect on the environment. This issue dominated the attention of Frank after the University of North Dakota received permits to burn PCB. This is evident with the vast array of newspaper articles that Frank wrote on this issue to the Grand Forks Herald. The collection also consists of meeting minutes and surveys from the organization, Citizens Concerned About Toxic Hazards.
This collection also consists material from the Institute for Ecological Studies at the University of North Dakota, 1970-1983. Frank was very active in the Institute and even served on the its Executive Committee. The collection contains meeting minutes and correspondence.
The collection also contains materials from other organizations Frank was involved with. This includes the Lake Agassiz Homeowners Association, the North Dakota Academy of Science, the Grand Forks Cooperative, and the Experiment in International Living. Also included is a folder entitled Humanities and Public Issues of Grand Forks. This issue focused on the future growth and shape of the city of Grand Forks.
Box 1
Folder
| Original Donation | First Addition: 1926-1995 |
| Second Addition: 1941 | Third Addition: 1989 |
| Fourth Addition: 1900-1995 | Fifth Addition: 1938-1953 |
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