Wilson James Frank

Jim Frank Born as Wilson James Frank on June 4, 1923 in Kansas City, MO, to Benjamin Frank and Vivian Draper Frank. Jim died on November 12, 2007 in Walnut Creek. During WWII, Jim was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served on the Manhattan Project and met Herb York. After the war, Jim pursued his passion for physics. He was valedictorian at the University of Illinois in 1948 and received his PhD in nuclear physics from the University of California Berkeley in 1953. During that time, he began working at the University of California Radiation Lab (the forerunner of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory) together with the early founders, Ernest Orlando Lawrence, Edward Teller and Herb York. He became an employee of the Lawrence Livermore Lab in 1953 and worked there until his death. His early work was related to the development of the Polaris nuclear warhead, "Project Nobska" under Edward Teller. He attended several atmospheric tests in the Marshall Islands and tests for "Project Plowshare" in Nevada. His article on "Nuclear Weapons" appeared in the 15th Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. His later work involved providing support for the Lab and its on-going efforts with Great Britain related to the Limited Test Ban Treaty signed in 1963. Outside of work, Jim's interests included spending time with family, music performances, the San Francisco Opera, hiking in the Sierra and the Pacific NW, and the study of wild flowers. He is survived by his brother Lloyd H. Frank of Kansas City, MO; sister, Doris F. Metzger of Cedar Hill, TX; nieces and nephews. Burial will be on November 20 at Memorial Park Cemetery in Kansas City, MO.