Frank Howard Margolick
Engineer, executive, traveller, gentleman. Born on Oct 18, 1920, in Montreal; died on Nov. 20, 2014, in Vancouver, of natural causes, aged 94.
The family is anxious to leave on vacation. The car is far too full, but somehow – methodically, painstakingly – Frank has figured out the unique arrangement of boxes and suitcases that will allow the trunk and doors to close. Now we can go. That was Frank: patient, intelligent, a problem-solver, a facilitator.
He grew up in Montreal's Westmount district, the son of a clothing-factory owner who passed away when Frank was a teenager. An early interest in science and a ham radio hobby led him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a degree in electrical engineering in 1941. During the Second World War, he designed military radio equipment for Canadian Marconi in Montreal. Shortly after the war ended, he invented a device to record electromagnetic activity in the upper atmosphere, and continued to work in electronics design for 45 years.
In 1942, Frank met and married Phyllis Salomons, a pianist and dance accompanist. Not one for flowery speech, his proposal was, "Well, after we're married …" Their 72-year partnership produced three daughters, a son and six grandchildren. As a parent, Frank focused intensely on being a good provider and moral compass. He supported his children's university and professional arts training and often asked them about their financial security, even when it was no longer an issue.
During the height of the anti-communist fervour of the Cold War, Phyllis and Frank were active in progressive causes. They supported the trade union movement, including the Canadian Association of Scientific Workers, and marched in ban-the-bomb demonstrations. Later they supported the first New Democratic Party candidates in Quebec.
In 1958, Frank became chief engineer, and later vice-president of engineering, at Fleetwood, a Montreal-based television manufacturer. In 1978, the company was sold and Frank accepted positions that took him and Phyllis to Batavia, N.Y., and Knoxville, Tenn. He led TV product-development teams, including foundation work on remote control devices. On the job, Frank was more highly regarded than his intense modesty would allow him to admit – a leader who cast himself in a supporting role. He never had to look for work.
In their 60s, before and after his retirement at 66, Frank and Phyllis travelled the world, to exciting destinations such as Bali, Sao Paulo, Kashmir. They were adventurous, often making few plans in advance and visiting places off the beaten path. For Frank, nothing could top the game parks of Kenya. Stories and photos of animal encounters became an endless source of pleasure. Later, the couple would drive across the United States and Canada, spending time with children and grandkids in Baltimore and Vancouver, until a permanent move to Vancouver in 1999.
Frank was dignified, respectful and greatly respected – a true gentleman. He had a calm, rational perspective on contentious issues. He welcomed people with a warm smile, courtesy and thoughtfulness. We have happy memories of him on a long, lazy swim at an isolated Laurentian lake that we frequented, and of driving around the Northeastern United States, motel-hopping, and visiting relatives and tourist sites. Even in his last years, despite declining health, he remained gracious and deeply connected to his family.
Michael Margolick, Judith Marcuse, Sally Winston and Betsy Carson are Frank's children.