Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Barbara & Family,
I was sad to learn of Frank's passing last Saturday. I lost a good friend in Frank. Barbara, the two of you were both dear friends. Thank you for that. I first met Dr. Tillman 40 years ago in 1977 when I transferred to K-State. I liked Frank immediately. He also gave me a $500 scholarship! Frank is the reason I studied IE and I owe much of my success to Frank. Two years later, in 1979, I was considering leaving IE and transferring to ME, but Frank convinced me to stay in the department by letting me take graduate level courses for undergraduate credit. Net, Frank is the reason I remained in IE and (once again) I owe much of my success to him. Another three years later, in 1982, Steve Johnson called Frank looking for someone a few years out of college to join him at Frito-Lay. I was working for John Deere in Iowa at the time. Frank told Steve I might be a fit. I subsequently joined Frito-Lay and spent 10 wonderful years there. So, Frank is the reason I met Steve and landed at Frito-Lay … and I owe much of my success to him for that. As you know, over the years I spent a fair amount of time meeting with and learning from Frank. He was one of my mentors. He was always willing to share … his time, his experience, and especially his opinions. He was smart, hard working, and had a wealth of experiences that he willingly shared with me. He also had a pretty good memory. I never spent time with Frank without learning a thing or two from him. Thank you Frank! He was larger than life, wasn’t he? He was also very proud of his family ... of each and every one of you. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren at your Lake of the Ozarks retreat. Yes, he will be missed by many. Frank, I miss you already! Thank you for being in my life.
Larry Strecker
