Fishin’ With Franks

Students attending Texas A&M University’s Fish Camp this summer will have the chance to win $1,000, thanks to the generosity of an Aggie couple from Sugar Land. Bobbie Jean and Corky Frank created the new award, dubbed “Fishin’ With Franks,” through an $18,000 donation to the Texas A&M Foundation.

The couple will give two $1,000 awards to incoming freshmen at each of the seven Fish Camp sessions and two additional $1,000 awards to Fish Camp counselors, co-chairs, crew or directors. The Franks funded an additional gift to cover the $225 Fish Camp registration fee for 11 freshmen.

Starting July 31, any freshman who attends a 2015 Fish Camp session and all members of the Fish Camp team are eligible to apply for the award online. The Texas A&M Foundation will select recipients through a random drawing on Aug. 31, and awards will be applied to the students’ spring semester fees.

“We consider it a privilege to be able to work with the foundation to support students who have chosen to attend Fish Camp,” said Bobbie Jean Frank. “Our hope is that they will recognize the great opportunities in front of them and commit to work hard during their college years to gain a quality educational experience.”

Corky Frank was the first of an extended family to attend college. After his 1958 graduation from Texas A&M with a petroleum engineering degree, he went to work for Marathon Oil Co. and later Marathon Petroleum Co. His 43 years of service to Marathon included 16 years as president. After he retired, he also served for four years as chairman of the board for Horizon Offshore Co.

The Franks moved 22 times during his career, which gave their children Jim and Debbie the opportunity to receive a well-rounded education and to make lifelong friends across the United States, Indonesia, Ireland and England.

Loyal and longtime Texas A&M supporters, the couple has funded scholarships, faculty chairs and initiatives within the Dwight Look College of Engineering, including its Project Management Certificate Program.

Corky Frank attributes his values, education and successful career to time spent as an undergraduate student at Texas A&M. “When I graduated, there were 9,500 students at Texas A&M,” he said. “Today, there are more than 50,000 students. This growth in numbers and the quality of education is a result of the administration’s hard work as well as financial contributions made by former students. My hope is for the incoming freshmen to study hard and look forward to giving back to Texas A&M.”

To this day, Frank recalls a moment from his freshman orientation that made a lasting impression. “Texas A&M President D.H. Morgan asked us to shake hands with the person on our left and the person on our right, because those people may not be around for graduation four years later,” he said. “This story reminds me that the transition from high school to college is one of the most significant in a young person’s life. Fish Camp eases that transition, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support these freshmen and students leaders.”