truevis
Well-Known Member
Frank Carpenter (Host of many AK get-togethers called Frankenfest)
I’ve known Frank only a modest few years. Yet my time with Frank was special. Not only did we become good friends, but I found him an inspiration in many ways.
Frank was soft-spoken, quiet, almost invisible - except for his crumpled tan cloth hat, scruffy beard, and worn jeans. Frank looked the part of a back-woodsman.
We shared a passion for audio. Over the past few years we worked together on a loudspeaker project. Advancing an almost forgotten niche of high efficiency systems. The project involved understanding transducer technology, precise measurement, and skilled craftsmanship. I mention this because I soon came to appreciate Frank’s professionalism and creativity. His approach to the work reminded me of the Zen Archer who becomes one with the bow, the arrow, the arc of flight to the target, and the goal. His was the highest level of skill, concentration, and accomplishment.
Funny the analogy of the Zen Archer comes to mind as I am writing this - funny because Frank was a marksman with a crossbow. He told me he would teach me to shoot his bow next time we met. That was the last time I saw him.
Frank had many dimensions. While unassuming and unpretentious, he was deep - a thinker, an intellectual. He would loan me his journals to read. He shared his fascination with human nature and society. Frank loved a good discussion of ideas.
Frank was an outdoorsman. He liked hunting and then preparing a whole smoked Turkey. Frank was part farmer. Last spring when he visited our home in Cambridge he brought us fresh tomatoes and bell peppers from his vegetable garden.
My search for words to describe Frank quickly became challenging. Too much to say, too limited a vocabulary. At the core, his was a nature where Virtue – high ethical standards – Altruism – an abiding concern for others – and Wisdom reigned. Values that are rare in today’s materialistic and self-aggrandizing world.
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Steve Hluchan
I’ve known Frank only a modest few years. Yet my time with Frank was special. Not only did we become good friends, but I found him an inspiration in many ways.
Frank was soft-spoken, quiet, almost invisible - except for his crumpled tan cloth hat, scruffy beard, and worn jeans. Frank looked the part of a back-woodsman.
We shared a passion for audio. Over the past few years we worked together on a loudspeaker project. Advancing an almost forgotten niche of high efficiency systems. The project involved understanding transducer technology, precise measurement, and skilled craftsmanship. I mention this because I soon came to appreciate Frank’s professionalism and creativity. His approach to the work reminded me of the Zen Archer who becomes one with the bow, the arrow, the arc of flight to the target, and the goal. His was the highest level of skill, concentration, and accomplishment.
Funny the analogy of the Zen Archer comes to mind as I am writing this - funny because Frank was a marksman with a crossbow. He told me he would teach me to shoot his bow next time we met. That was the last time I saw him.
Frank had many dimensions. While unassuming and unpretentious, he was deep - a thinker, an intellectual. He would loan me his journals to read. He shared his fascination with human nature and society. Frank loved a good discussion of ideas.
Frank was an outdoorsman. He liked hunting and then preparing a whole smoked Turkey. Frank was part farmer. Last spring when he visited our home in Cambridge he brought us fresh tomatoes and bell peppers from his vegetable garden.
My search for words to describe Frank quickly became challenging. Too much to say, too limited a vocabulary. At the core, his was a nature where Virtue – high ethical standards – Altruism – an abiding concern for others – and Wisdom reigned. Values that are rare in today’s materialistic and self-aggrandizing world.
--
Steve Hluchan