Frank Dowd K4BVQ in his well designed 1959 hamshack in Charlotte, NC
The amplifier is a 4-1000A with
bandswitching pi-network. The modulator (on bottom) is a Class B
push-pull 250TH's.
The antenna is 3 elements on 20 and 15 meters and 4 elements on
10 meters on a 97' steel tower.
Willis Frank Dowd, III, a.k.a. Frank Doud, Jr., K4BVQ, Silent Key (1927 - 2019).
Willis Frank Dowd III, known
throughout his life as Frank Dowd, Junior, died peacefully at his
home on Friday, November 1, 2019, a spectacular Fall day.
Frank was born February 21, 1927, the son of the late Willis
Frank Dowd, Junior and Elizabeth Roddey Dowd. A Charlotte native,
Frank would see his hometown grow from the small yet productive
community of his youth to the thriving and vibrant city of today.
In many ways, he would be a part of that change.
Frank attended Myers Park Elementary School and Alexander Graham
Junior High. In 1943, he was enrolled in Woodberry Forest School
near Orange, VA, where his love of learning and the importance of
a good education took root and became a guiding principle for his
life. Frank graduated from WFS in 1945 and was immediately
drafted into the US Navy. He trained as a Radio Technician (RT)
at Great Lakes N.T.C. and from there was assigned to the USS
Lovelace DE-198 based out of San Diego, CA. Frank was honored to
have been in the service of his country and throughout his life
continued to support and honor the fine men and women who serve
and protect this great nation.
After his discharge from the Navy in 1946, he returned to
Charlotte to continue his education, attending Davidson College
(1946-47) and transferred to Princeton University in 1948, where
he graduated in 1950 with a degree in Business and Economics.
While at Princeton, Frank enjoyed the many cultural and academic
opportunities that were so readily available to students. He was
a member of Cottage Club.
In 1949, during his last year at Princeton, Frank married his
childhood sweetheart, Sally Worth Carson, also of Charlotte. In
1950, after his graduation from Princeton, they returned to
Charlotte where they would make their home.
In 1950, Frank also joined the family company, Charlotte Pipe and
Foundry, a cast iron soil pipe manufacturing company started by
his grandfather, W. Frank Dowd in 1901. In the late 60's, Frank
spearheaded the purchase of a large parcel of land in Union
County and expanded the company line from cast iron pipe to
include plastics. Frank would serve as President, Chairman and
Chairman Emeritus of CPF and remained actively involved as the
next generations stepped into positions of leadership. It meant a
great deal to Frank that Charlotte Pipe has been able to and
continues to provide excellent employment opportunities to so
many residents of Mecklenburg County and the surrounding
counties. Today, the company has seven branches in six states.
Being a company where the pursuit of excellence is at the core of
producing the finest quality product, where every aspect of
operations from maintenance to sales are an important component
of a successful company, Charlotte Pipe operates within a culture
where relationships are of paramount importance. Every position
is valued. Vendors, customers, sales representatives and
employees are all a part of the greater CPF family and Frank was
sincerely grateful for the opportunity to know and work with so
many fine people during his 69 years with the company. He was
highly respected and admired by those with whom he worked and
always gave credit where credit was due. He was also quick to
acknowledge those whom he considered true mentors from his early
days with CPF. During his years at the helm, he shared the
executive operations and responsibilities with his brother,
Roddey Dowd and friend and business partner, Ned Hardison, a
three-fold relationship that would see many innovations and
advances under their tutelage.
Outside the office, Frank would gain a reputation for his many
hobbies and activities. In addition to tennis, volleyball and
golf, he enjoyed snow skiing and travel, especially to
Switzerland. He was a gifted ham radio operator and pursued his
hobby for over 62 years. Known by his call sign, K4BVQ, he made
contacts around the world. Always interested in airplanes and
flying, in 1945, at age 18, Frank earned his pilot's license. For
many years to come, he flew a number of classic small planes for
pleasure. He enjoyed building and flying model airplanes as well.
In the 1980's, Frank took up the hobby of restoring classic
railroad cars and enjoyed several wonderful trips with friends
aboard his Babbling Brook. He turned to model railroading and
amassed quite a collection of model railroad cars. A collector of
military memorabilia, he undertook the restoration of military
trucks from the 1940's. Frank was a farmer at heart and spent
many hours on a tractor clearing and maintaining the fields at
Red Bird Hill and later at his home in Union County. From his
teenage years into his 90's, cars, trucks, trains and tractors,
the list goes on, were a big part of his life. He was truly a man
of many interests.
Frank was an avid reader of many genres and became a true student
of World War II. He loved music and credits his mother, who was a
gifted pianist, with instilling in him that love, knowledge and
appreciation of beautiful music, especially the timeless works of
the classical composers. He was a great fan of the Big Band
sound. Over the years, Frank enjoyed attending and supporting the
Charlotte Symphony and singing in the church choir. In all of
these hobbies and endeavors, he made and maintained remarkable
friendships.
Frank was active in a number of civic and volunteer
organizations. He was especially involved with the YMCA of
greater Charlotte, serving as President as well as being an
active participant in the programs offered. He recalled many
fierce games of volleyball with The Whiffers, played at what is
now the Dowd Family Y. He was a past president and board member
of YMCA Camp Thunderbird. He was a long-time member of the Good
Fellows organization and remained a strong supporter of their
good work throughout the community.
Frank served on the Board of Directors of Lance, Inc. and the NC
Board of Transportation. He enjoyed a long tenure on the Board of
NCNB/Nations Bank (now Bank of America). He also served on the
Board of Central Piedmont Community College and the Charlotte
City School Board during the years when the Charlotte city school
system and the Mecklenburg County school system merged. Frank was
especially thankful for his years serving on the Board of
Charlotte Country Day and he remained an active member of the
Dowd Foundation. He gave of his time, his sage advice and his
support to many other organizations and causes that promoted and
provided educational and cultural enrichment opportunities,
health services and youth development programs to the Charlotte
Mecklenburg community. Frank had a tender heart and was a
generous supporter of animal welfare organizations. He was a
member and past president of the Charlotte City Club and a member
of Charlotte Country Club and Providence Country Club.
A Charter member of Myers Park Baptist Church, he joined in 1943,
Frank served in various positions of leadership over the years.
He was a former Chairman of the Board and a lifetime Deacon. He
often mentioned how beautiful the Sanctuary was and what an
outstanding music program the church maintained. He had a
personal connection to both. He was a member of the church choir
for many years and his mother and father, founding members, were
actively involved in making many decisions concerning the
interior and exterior design of the church as well as the
purchase of the magnificent Aeolian Skinner organ. The
stained-glass window, located in the chancel, was given by his
family and remains a source of inspiration and beauty. Frank was
a man of strong faith and good character.
In 1981, after 32 years of marriage, Frank lost his wife, Sally,
to leukemia. They were blessed with six children and many happy
years together, especially on their farm, Red Bird Hill. In 1984,
Frank married Anne Bradford Waters of Lynchburg, VA, whom he had
met at Myers Park Baptist Church. Together with Anne's two young
children, they moved to a farm located in Wesley Chapel, Union
County. This would be their home for the remainder of his life
and a place where he found a true sense of peace and contentment.
In his later years, Frank continued to enjoy listening to his
extensive music collection. He remained an avid reader and became
a devoted follower of the many excellent travel shows, military
documentaries and Masterpiece Classics series on PBS. But his
happiest times were spent simply sitting with his wife, Anne, on
the front porch of their home at sunset. It was here that he
reminisced about his early years, growing up in Charlotte,
recounting numerous stories of happy times spent with his many
childhood friends who were to remain lifelong friends. He spoke
often of summers on his uncle's farm near Rock Hill, SC,
vacations at the North and South Carolina beaches and at the
family home in Montreat, NC. Also, among his fondest memories,
were his five years at Camp Sequoya. It was there, he would say,
that he learned the fundamentals of sports as well as developing
a true sense of comradery and sportsmanship.
Frank believed in the value of a good day's work. He found great
satisfaction in the hard but rewarding work of farm life. Frank
had an innate appreciation for nature and for the natural beauty
of his native state, especially the view at sunrise from his
mountain house overlooking Valle Crucis. He was a humble man and
lived a life of gratitude and thankfulness for his many
blessings. He also lived life with a twinkle in his blue eyes and
a delightful sense of humor. Frank Dowd was a generous man, a
kind and gentle man and a good and Godly man. He loved his Lord,
his country, his family and his friends and his many loyal dogs
who were such good company for the journey. Like so many of his
generation, he was a mentor and role model, speaking most
eloquently by example, through the life that he lived. Frank Dowd
will be missed by all who knew him.
Photo from Don Chesser W4KVX DX
Magazine #87, September 30, 1959
Info published in Charlotte Observer Nov. 3, 2019
Tnx W5KNE