Frank R. Douglas '81

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Frank R. Douglas ’81 passed away Feb. 7 while camping in Joshua Tree National Park.

Born March 31, 1953, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, his father, Frank Douglas Sr., was an Army cook, so Frank Jr.’s childhood years were spent wherever his father was stationed. His favorite home and memories were when his mother was alive and they lived in a house in Monterey, California. However, she passed away as a young mother, leaving three children behind. Douglas, his younger brother, Eddie, and younger sister, Jane, lived with various relatives for some time, while their father was deployed overseas. Eventually their Frank Sr. remarried, so they lived with him and their stepmother, Helen. Douglas fondly recalled that he was allowed to have a German Shepherd on the trailer park grounds in Texas where they lived. He loved his "good ol' dog, Blitz."

After high school, Douglas left home on a greyhound bus for California. He attended Santa Barbara Junior College and was active in ROTC. Transferring to UCLA, he earned his bachelor's degree in political science.

Douglas did master’s coursework from 1983 to 1985, earning his master of arts in international affairs from California State University, Sacramento, in 1989, following three years of service in the Air Force. His thesis was “Prospects for U.S. Bases in Saudi Arabia.”

Douglas continued his graduate work at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, completing a Ph.D. in international relations in 2005. His dissertation topic was “The United States, NATO, Base Closures, and the New Atlantic Relationship.”

He lived in Esweiler, Germany, with the Eckhardt family during most of his Ph.D. dissertation work, honing his working knowledge and conversationalist abilities in the German language during those 7+ years. Following this, Douglas returned to the U.S. and adapted his thesis for book format, publishing "The United States, NATO, and a New Multilateral Relationship" in November of 2007.

Douglas served in the U.S. Air Force from 1973 to 1978 as a personnel specialist and from 1985 to 1988 as a nuclear missile launch officer.  He was stationed at bases in Texas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Florida, California, Wyoming and England, achieving a rank of second lieutenant.

While in the Navy training program in 1982, Douglas suffered a heatstroke, the effects of which would impair him for the rest of his life.

After leaving active duty and earning his M.A. degree, Douglas engaged in many occupations, projects and pursuits, including:

• Serving as a National Park Ranger for Gulf Islands National Seashore, Gulfport, Mississippi, where he developed and led tours explaining human and natural history of the islands.
• Participating in various political campaigns at several levels for both major political parties.
• Teaching world history and government to junior high and high school students.
• Working as program assistant for a child development center for U.S. military children in Germany assisting in socialization and intellectual stimulation of children.
• Acting as financial auditor for U.S. Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
• Teaching college courses for the European Division of the University of Maryland to U.S. military personnel and to the diplomatic and international communities in Germany, Belgium, Bosnia and the Netherlands.
• Teaching politics at the University of Kent, as post-graduate teaching assistant.
• Assisting and participating in the ECPR (European Consortium of Political Researchers) conference in the UK.
• Being appointed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), after endorsement by the U.S. Department of State, as an International Elections Supervisor in Prishtina, Kosovo, to educate Kosovars in democratic elections procedures and then monitor, supervise and certify the actual election.
• Teaching American government and introduction to political science to U.S. Sailors and Marines on board the USS Kearsarge in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War, as well as on various other U.S. Navy warships in the Persian Gulf and Sardinia, for Central Texas College.
• Observing the Parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
• Serving as an Army civilian historian in Baghdad, Iraq, for the 1st Armored Division, documenting activities during a one-year deployment.
• Becoming a published author.

Douglas had to be adaptable to changing environments, as exemplified by his teaching postings, ranging from army tents on hilltops in Bosnia to resource-rich classrooms in Brussels to a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf during hostilities.

His personal interests, many of which influenced his work, included politics, history, meeting people, traveling, hiking, biking, swimming, boating, camping, music, architecture, cooking, auto mechanics, reading non-fiction, documentaries, public relations, deserts and writing.

Douglas listed these as among his personal habits or idiosyncrasies:

• What-a-Burger in Texas.
• Artichokes, sundried tomatoes and walnuts in bulk at Costco.
• Boiled peanuts.
• Baking banana bread from scratch and taking to neighbors, librarians, whomever!
• Fried eggs - yolk had to be smashed during cooking to get a taste of it in every bite of the egg.
• Phone was turned off to save money and on "phone days" when he turned it on, he would call as many friends as he could within that 24 hours.
• Loved to re-use plastics: grocery bags, potato salad or sour cream containers, gallon water jugs, etc.
• Always financially frugal.
• Striking up conversation with strangers, making friends quickly, offering free advice or historical and travel information, inviting himself to stay in their homes, introducing them to his friends.
• Almost always had to clear his throat when talking due to acid reflux issues.
• E-mailed his travel experiences, gave detailed accounts of people he met, gave his opinions on current events.
• Loved Thanksgiving dinners!