Fishing put Frank Franze in hospital

Frank Franze, Class of 1950, who lives in Slidell, Louisiana, found that fishing can be hazardous to your health.

Let Frank explain:

“I just got out of the hospital for an infection on my shin.  I hit my shin on the edge of the dock while fishing.  I spent 5 days on large doses of antibiotics. Am OK now.

“I am planning a trip soon. It will be after the sale of my house in Jasper.  Will keep you informed of when I will be there.”

The “trip” will be to West Virginia. Jasper is in Texas, near the Louisiana border, where Frank and his late second wife, Linda Corkern Franze, lived until her passing July 16, 2013. Frank moved to Slidell to be near his daughters.

Slidell is on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain not all that far from New Orleans. That’s where Carol lives with husband Brent Prezbirdowski. Carol and Brent both lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina, then married each other.

Frank joined the Air Force in 1957. His military career took him to bases all over the United States, to Vietnam and to Korea until his 1971 retirement. Frank spent 15 years inspecting space shuttles for Lockheed Martin in Louisiana.

Frank and his first wife, a Louisiana girl, had three daughters before she died in 1981 – Barbara Franze Bell, married to Steve Bell, whose children are Amanda, Stevie and Erin; and Carol and Brent Presbindowski, whose children are Jacob and Rebecca. Carol has a son, Ryan, the same age as Frank's middle grandaughter, Stevi. 

Marley and Cooper are Frank's great-grandchildren.

Barbara's daughter is Amanda Bell Calhoun, married to Pate Calhoun. 

Frank was in the facietously named Gang That Terrorized Marion County during our teen years. He often would stop at my Church Street home to pick me up, and there would be so many of us in the vehicle that I had trouble finding room to jump aboard.

We would skinnydip in the river at night, after purchasing a gallon of draft beer in a jug we provided, and eating watermelon that we didn’t always pay for – thank you, Speedway Market.

Four of the “gang” have passed away: Lawrence “Sonny” Godby, Anthony “Plumber” DeMary, Tom “Judge” Starcher and Joe Manzo.

Others, if I can remember all their names, were Duane Harbert of Marlton, New Jersey; Tony Eates of Fairmont; Donald Halpenny of Fairmont; Steven “Bucky” Satterfield of St. Albans, who ironically became a West Virginia State Police officer; Bob “Satch” Kasper of South Lyon and Presque Isle, Michigan; and me, John “Junior” Olesky.

Frank managed to find trouble without The Gang, too, in those days.

As Frank recalls:

“Joe  Argiro, Class of 1948, Virginia Raschella, Class of 1947, and I would go to  the Meadowbrook on Saturday nite. If you remember there was a (Marion County) deputy sheriff from Monongah (Frank Kolowski) who took joy in harassing Monongah young people.  He ran us out  a couple of times.  After that, Tommy would get us to go into the kitchen. I hid with Joe Arigo  in the kitchen when the cops came in.  Think 1947-48.  Maybe someone can steer me straight. 

“Joe became a schoolteacher.  He died at an early age. Virginia passed away recently.”

Note from John Olesky: Billy's Meadowbrook and Melody Manor, across from Drummond's restaurant, would serve alcohol to teenagers in those years. Frank Kolowski kept busy trying to keep Monongah youngsters from breaking the law and harming themselves. 

Frank's daughter, Lorraine, Class of 1955, and my sister, Jackie, also Class of 1950, were best friends at Monongah High. Lorraine died way too young and left three daughters without a mother after moving to Louisiana.

It was Frank Kolowski who brought my shoes to my father when a group of us were swimming at 3 a.m. in the Fairmont Field Club pool. I walked home barefoot the three miles from the golf course to our Church Street home in Monongah. I thought I had escaped detection -- till I woke up the next morning and my dad, John W. Olesky, Sr., was standing next to my bed with my shoes in his hands. 

We got a "getting straight" talk from authorities but they didn't arrest juveniles in those days. We didn't swim in someone else's pool again -- just in local rivers and Coal Hole and Fairmont Municipal Pool on 12th Street.

In 2000 Frank made a reservation to attend the Monongah High Alummni Reunion, which was the 50^th anniversary for his Class of 1950. Frank forgot about granddaughter Stevi’s high school graduation being on the same day, so he had to cancel the reunion appearance in 2000.

Frank and Linda, along with Frank’s cousin, Kathryn Ann Manuel Marshall, Class of 1960, who lives in Columbia, Maryland; my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1950, and her daughter, Renee Straight of Fairmont; and my son, John Larry Olesky, and I got together in 2012 at a Morgantown restaurant before a WVU football game.

If you want to contact Frank, his new mailing address is 1 Meadows Blvd. Apt. 216 Slidell, La. 70460, his phone number is  (409)  381  9751 and his email address is frankfranze@sbcglobal.net