Frederic W. Frank, a colorful Baltimore bail bondsman who established Fred W. Frank Bail Bonds, died Monday of complications from lymphoma at his son's Pikesville home. He was 82.
The son of Eliot "Edward" Frank, a Box Co. manager, and Zelma Fisher Frank, a homemaker, Frederic William Frank was born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Park Circle neighborhood.
After graduating in 1951 from Forest Park High School, where he was an offensive guard on the football team, Mr. Frank enlisted in the Army and fought with a combat infantry unit in Korea, where he was wounded and earned the Purple Heart.
After being discharged, he went to work as a cutter at the old Haas Tailoring Co.
In 1962, he married the former Phyllis Kimmelman, whose father owned a bail bonds firm.
After working for his father-in-law's firm for a year or so, he and his wife established Fred W. Frank Bail Bonds in 1968 in an office at 214 E. Lexington St. in downtown Baltimore, where the firm has remained for the past 47 years.
"It was on the eve of the 1968 riots in Baltimore," said his son, Ronald "Ronnie" Frank of Pikesville, who along with his sister worked with their father.
"He had a lot of guts and taught us that this is a service business. He used to go out at 3 a.m. on a $500 bail in which he only made $50. He did it because he knew the next time they needed bail that they would use him," said his son, who purchased the business in 1995. "He worked 24/7, and that's how he built the business."
"Fred got well known on the streets of Baltimore during the 1968 riots," said Barry Udoff, who went to work for Mr. Frank in 1969 and is the company's chief operating officer.
"During the 1968 riots, all of the bail money he loaned came back," his son said. "It was the action. He loved the action of the business. He used to say, 'It's all about people.' He was good at what he did, and if he couldn't get someone out, he'd return all of the money."
"We used to bail people out when they had very little money, but they would pay it back with interest," said Mr. Udoff.
"He did a lot of really great things for people including his employees. He took in a troubled guy and gave him a chance. He turned his life around and [the man] has now worked for us for 40 years," he said. "People don't have any idea of what Fred has done. He helped out plenty of people, and people gravitated to him because he was such a nice guy."
He established Lexington National Insurance Corp. in 1989, which has grown into the largest surety company in Maryland. "The company is now in 46 states," his son said.
"With Lexington National Insurance Corp., Fred took it to the next level. He had the discipline and success to do that," said Mark Adams, a former Baltimore bail bondsman.
Mr. Frank never tired of telling the story of when he and the late Steve Harris, a public defender, were having a meal in a restaurant that was robbed by several masked gunmen.
"The gunman told everyone to put their wallets and jewelry on the table," recalled Mr. Adams. "As they worked their way around the room, one of the gunmen took off his mask and said, 'Hi, Mr. Fred. It's me. Don't worry, the gun isn't loaded.'"
Mr. Frank was a lifelong jogger and until he turned 70, said Mr. Udoff, he was "running 12 miles a day. He also actively and financially supported a city basketball league for years."
"While he was not physically imposing, he enjoyed being physically fit," said Mr. Adams.
"He never really retired," his son said. "He was still calling in every day, even when he was in the hospital for chemotherapy treatments. His brain never stopped working and he never lost his sense of humor."
A resident of Owings Mills for 40 years, Mr. Frank also enjoyed spending time at a second home in North Miami Beach, Fla.
Mr. Frank and his wife, who was vice president of Lexington National Insurance Corp., were inducted in 2005 into the Professional Bail Agents of the United States Hall of Fame.
He was a member of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation.
Funeral services were held Wednesday at Sol Levinson & Bros. in Pikesville.
In addition to his wife of 53 years and his son, Mr. Frank is survived by his daughter, Robin Lynn Frank; a brother, Stanley Frank; a sister, Ann Frank, all of Pikesville; and three grandchildren.