Frank Chris Erk

1924 - 12

Erk

Frank Chris Erk (Age 98)

Frank Chris Erk died on May 2, 2023 at his residence in Riderwood Village in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was born on December 17, 1924 in Evansville, Indiana. He made the most of his long life, inspired by three great passions; science, travel and music.

From a young age, Frank was a curious soul, eager to seek out and learn all he could about the world and his place in it. World War II put his college plans on hold, as he served three years in the Army Air Force as flight navigator. After returning home, he enrolled in electrical school in Chicago, in case a career in biology didn't "pan out." In 1948, he graduated from the University of Evansville with a degree in biology. He and his teenage sweetheart, Ruth Hobgood, married that summer and left for Baltimore, MD where Frank attended graduate school. In 1952, Frank received his PhD in genetics from Johns Hopkins University. It was at Hopkins that he met his lifetime friend and mentor, Dr. H Bentley Glass, who influenced much of his academic research and future plans. Frank's first teaching job was at Washington College in Chestertown, MD, where he complimented his academic duties by forming a college choir. After five years at Washington College, he accepted the opportunity to become a founding faculty member of the new university at Stony Brook, New York. In 1957, Professor Erk taught the first class held at the temporary location in Oyster Bay. During the cold war, as the US recognized its need for reform in science education in order to become more competitive, Erk was recruited for a project funded by the NSF to update textbooks and educational materials for secondary school biology. He was one of the many scientists that wrote the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, today called the BSCS Science Learning. Sixty-five years later, adaptations of these early materials are still used, and have been translated for over fifty countries.

From 1969-1971 Erk served as president of the University Faculty Senate for the State University of New York. He led the campaign to certify the Senate as the bargaining agent for the entire university staff. This was later named the United University Professions (UUP) and is the largest higher education union in the nation . In addition to research and teaching responsibilities, Frank was also editor of the international journal, The Quarterly Review of Biology for thirty-four years. He was proud of his part in the development of SUNY Stony Brook and that it is known today as a renowned research center. He retired after thirty-three years in 1990 as emeritus professor of biochemistry and cell biology. He remained at SUNY for another decade working in his lab and advising students until he and Ruth moved to Maryland, where they started a new chapter of travel and musical endeavors.

Frank and Ruth traveled to many distant lands. They lived in Italy, Scotland and England while on sabbatical. They visited Europe, the Caribbean, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, but also sought out more unusual experiences in the Galapagos Islands, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Africa, Iceland and Greenland among others. Political unrest or unsafe conditions never stopped them from seeing the world.

Wherever Frank lived, he either formed choirs or auditioned to sing in them. He had a full, bass voice that was an asset to any choral group. In addition to madrigal groups and church choirs, he sang with the Brighton Festival Chorus in England under guest conductors Leonard Bernstein and Andre Previn. He also sang in the Long Island Choral Association for over thirty years. He was an accomplished violist and participated in many orchestras and ensembles. After moving to Riderwood Village in Silver Spring, Frank and Ruth formed The Balladeers, a men's chorus, and The Grace Notes, a women's chorus. Fortunately, having Ruth by his side as his pianist, he never lacked an accompanist. Perhaps it was the magic of playing music together that created a strong bond throughout their marriage.

Frank is survived by three daughters, Susan, Elisabeth, and Stephanie; five grandchildren, Megan, Deanna, Paul, Carlene and Sonia; great-granddaughter, Epona; sister Dorothy Zehner and sister-in-law Julia Wood; and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents Matilda and Carl Erk and by his wife, Ruth. Interment will be in Evansville.

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