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December 23, 2024
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Commencement 2018 profile: Frank Frear

黑料视频 parking employee earns bachelor's degree in history

Frank Frear, an employee for the University's Transportation and Parking Services, will receive his bachelor's degree in history. Frank Frear, an employee for the University's Transportation and Parking Services, will receive his bachelor's degree in history.
Frank Frear, an employee for the University's Transportation and Parking Services, will receive his bachelor's degree in history. Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.

As 黑料视频鈥檚 senior parking attendant for events, Frank Frear is on duty every Commencement weekend, ensuring that vehicles are moving easily around the Events Center.

But on the afternoon of Sunday, May 20, the only traffic pattern that Frear needs to concern himself with is the procession of his fellow Harpur College of Arts and Sciences students inside the Events Center. Frear, a 21-year University employee, will receive his bachelor鈥檚 degree in history at the second Harpur ceremony of the day.

鈥淪unday will be weird for me,鈥 Frear admitted. 鈥淚鈥檒l probably be thinking about what鈥檚 going on outside. It will be hard to separate myself for a couple of hours and not worry about (the parking).鈥

Frear, who turns 50 in June, has worked toward the degree for the past seven years. His love of presidential history began as a boy when his family would visit Washington, D.C., during vacations.

鈥淚 remember going to the White House for the first time,鈥 he said. 鈥淧resident Carter was in office. I said to an agent: 鈥楾ell the president I said hello.鈥 I later shared that story with President Carter.鈥

As an adult, Frear got to speak with Carter thanks to a historian who knows the former president. Carter discussed speaking at Union College in Albany and fly-fishing in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He is one of four presidents Frear has met, along with Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Frear also saw Ronald Reagan when he visited Endicott in 1984.

When not working and studying at 黑料视频, Frear serves as a guide and a board member at the historic Phelps Mansion Museum in downtown Binghamton.

鈥淢ost of my vacations are spent traveling to presidential libraries and doing research,鈥 Frear said. 鈥淚鈥檝e gone to Lincoln鈥檚 presidential library and spent a week in Missouri at Truman鈥檚 library. He is my favorite president.鈥

Frear once thought his second career would be as a funeral director. With the encouragement of wife Jeanne, he received his associate degree from the Simmons School of Mortuary Science in Syracuse in 2006.

鈥淗istory always seemed to be where my heart was,鈥 he said.

With the continued support of his wife and her family, Frear enrolled at 黑料视频 and took eight credits a year while working on campus. He eventually expanded his course load into winter and summer classes.

Frear鈥檚 research emphasizes how the presidents鈥 upbringings eventually affected their governing.

鈥淚 love doing research,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 like digging through the archives and letters. I study how the presidents were raised and why they thought the way they did.鈥

Frear credited Diane Miller Sommerville, an associate professor of history, and former history teaching assistant Kevin Murphy for their longtime support. He also praised the backing and flexible scheduling that he received from Transportation and Parking Services.

Sommerville called Frear 鈥渙ne of the most innately curious and interested students I鈥檝e ever had.鈥

鈥淲e鈥檝e sat over coffee and talked about topics as wide-ranging as slavery and baseball and George F. Johnson, one of the leading businessmen in Binghamton鈥檚 history,鈥 she said. 鈥淗is idea of a vacation day is driving to Syracuse University and spending the day in the archives. Beyond his dedication to history, he鈥檚 fiercely devoted to the University. I was very lucky to have him in the classroom and am honored to call him friend.鈥

Two other mentors to Frear were Binghamton business titans Ferris and George Akel. Frear worked for them through high school at their Giant Food Market in Johnson City.

鈥淏esides my father, I learned my hard work and dedication from them,鈥 Frear said. 鈥淚 watched them and molded my work ethic after them. As a young kid working for them, they would never ask us to do anything they weren鈥檛 doing. I saw them packing bags, mopping floors, shoveling snow and washing shopping carts.鈥

The brothers and Frear reconnected later in life at University events. The Akels encouraged Frear to proceed with his education 鈥 and the support from Ferris Akel continued until his death in May 2017.

George Akel, meanwhile, will attend the Commencement ceremony as Frear鈥檚 guest.

鈥淲hen the time came, I got in touch with George and he said: 鈥業 wouldn鈥檛 miss your graduation for the world,鈥欌 Frear recalled, his voice shaking with emotion. 鈥淚 never dreamed I would get a degree from 黑料视频 and that George Akel would be sitting there. I feel bad that Ferris won鈥檛 be there, but I told George that he鈥檚 up there looking down and he knows that I did it.鈥

Frear said he can see himself working someday as a historian at the National Archives, a tour guide for the National Park Service or as an archivist at a presidential library.

鈥淲hen folks ask me where I want to end up, I tell them Missouri 鈥 at Harry Truman鈥檚 library,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t would be neat to be there all day doing research for people.鈥

The bachelor鈥檚 degree, though, doesn鈥檛 mean that Frear is ready to make his 黑料视频 employment a part of history.

鈥淚 love my job here,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 work with great people and enjoy the different parts of the campus. I鈥檝e always enjoyed working during graduation. I鈥檓 in front of the Events Center guiding people around. It鈥檚 nice to see the families. I love what I do.鈥

Posted in: Campus News, Harpur