Posted by Terry Powers on April 21, 2023:

16998 BARNES, FRANK GENTRY 09 December 1923 - 25 September 1976 Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia Aged 52 years. FRANK GENTRY BARNES was born in Livermore, Kentucky, on 9 December 1923; however, he was only few months old when his father and mother, Allison and Helen Owen Barnes, moved to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where he grew up and the place he considered to be his home town. As a youngster, Frank's chief interest was sports and he spent most of his time on the basketball court and football and baseball fields. He attended public schools in Hopkinsville and was graduated from Hopkinsville High School, where he earned letters in football and basketball and was in the very top of his class scholastically. Following graduation from high school, Frank briefly attended the University of Kentucky under a football scholarship; then moved to Vanderbilt, where he was majoring in civil engineering when he received the familiar "Greetings" early in 1943. Frank served in the 97th Division, attended New Mexico School of Mines under the Army Special Training Program, and served in the armored infantry of the 12th Armored Division where he took the competitive examinations that resulted in his appointment to the Military Academy. He was with the 12th in Port of Embarkation at Camp Shanks, New York, in late November 1944 when he received orders to report to Lafayette College for studies preparatory to entering the United States Military Academy in July 1945. Frank's arrival at West Point was difficult to miss since he was one of our largest classmates. He soon made his presence felt on both the football field and basketball court where he earned three varsity letters in each sport, having used up one year of eligibility prior to his West Point years. He played tackle on the great championship teams of 1945-1946-1947. Plastic helmets were new and the vogue at that time, but Frank along with Barney Poole stuck with the old-fashioned leather jobs, and this fact caused them to be easily identifiable on the field. In basketball, Frank was a hard worker although not a great scorer and surprisingly light on his feet for a big man. It was in baseball, though, that I really got to know Frank. It would be great to say that he was also a three letterman in that sport; however, it was not to be. Frank started the season with the Varsity as a back-up first baseman but was having trouble hitting a curve ball, and he was sent down to join our Plebe team. He never did overcome this hitting fault and gave up the game that year. With his bulk and natural good humor, we all gave him a rough time about his strike-out tendencies. Years later, I got a call about eleven o'clock one evening, and it was Frank who wanted me to know that he had hit a home run in the final game of the annual Industrial College of the Armed Forces-War College World Series. After graduation we served together at Tyndall Field in Florida and played basketball along with Spook Maughmer, Bob Pursley, and Irv Hammer for the Air Tactical School team. Frank was also our hard-driving coach and he really intimidated that league. He never gave up his love of athletics. While Frank was at Purdue in graduate school, Stu Holcomb was the head football coach. Having known Frank back at the Academy, he had him helping the then Line Coach, Hank Stram. Frank formed a life-long friendship with Hank and in later years was an active scout for the Kansas City Chiefs - his most famous find was at Morgan State in Baltimore - Willie Lanier. When the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl, Frank was presented with a set of diamond cuff links of which he was justly proud. This friendship continued right up through Frank's hospitalization, when Hank would call every week to check his progress. Frank's career took him to bases throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Korea, and Vietnam. The following information on Frank's career came from the Air Force LOGNEWS: "Among the highlights of his career were tours of duty with the Ballistic Missile Division of Inglewood, California, the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado and Headquarters, United States Air Force. "His duties with the Ballistic Missile Division were as the project engineer on the Titan I missile program. He was responsible for the propellant loading systems for all liquid fuel missile and space programs; and when the emphasis shifted to solid propellant missiles, he was named chief of operational base design for the Minuteman Program. "From September 1963 to July 1966 he was in the base civil engineer organization at the Air Force Academy. During his tour there, the construction program to accommodate expansion of the cadet wing was initiated. "In July 1968 he was assigned to the Headquarters United States Air Force Directorate of Engineering as the assistant chief of the Construction Division. "He later became chief of the Civil Engineering Programs Division, with responsibility for developing all civil engineering programs, including military construction, minor construction, nonappropriated funds construction, and operation and maintenance. "General Barnes had been assigned Deputy Chief of Staff Engineering and Services at Air Force Logistics Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, since February 1973." Last July Frank experienced severe headaches which were finally diagnosed as a brain tumor. The resulting operation was unsuccessful, and Frank passed away in late September. He was buried in Arlington Cemetery on 29 September. Chaplain Rice, who spoke to the large crowd at the funeral, gave an anecdote which portrayed Frank as we all remember him - following the operation the Chaplain was present at the time Frank revived; Frank looked up at him and asked "What's the score, Coach;" the Chaplain replied that it was the last quarter and we were behind 12-0. It was indeed fitting that in terms of the athletics he so deeply loved that Frank was prepared to face his impending death. While at Purdue in 1956, Frank courted and married his lovely bride, Patty Francis. There are three wonderful children who survive Frank - Beth, 17, a freshman at William and Mary; Susan, 15; and Henry Alan, better known as Hank, 13. In tribute to her father, Beth wrote the following, which was read at the service held at Wright Field: Thank You Dad. Thank you Dad, for all the things you were to me. That big man whose little girl I was. That person who growled and play-fought with me. The one who taught me how to ride a bike (and how to play football and baseball.) Thank you for all the times you spanked me (I guess I deserved it). Thank you for the support you gave me every day. Thank you for the part of me that is you. Thank you for your influence on my life. Thank you Dad, for being you. Your classmates, too, want to thank you Frank; we are better persons for just having known you - Rest in Peace. Brother, Ellis Daughter, Beth Classmate, FAH

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