The Honorable Frank K. Wilson

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - Colossians 3:23-24

Deacon Frank K. Wilson, 85, of Arlington, Virginia, son of the late Elmo and Mary Frances Fields Wilson, was born on July 6, 1934 in Oxford, North Carolina. Frank passed peacefully at home into eternal rest on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. 

Frank, the youngest of his siblings, Eloise and Marvin, having grown up on his parents’ farm in the segregated south, was taught the value of education at an early age. Along with his siblings, Frank walked nearly three miles one way to elementary school; upon completion of the seventh grade he entered Mary Potter High School in Oxford.  It was not until tenth grade that he began playing football, and he was good at it, so much so that after graduating from high school in 1952, he earned a full football scholarship to North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) in Durham. Frank was a part of the football team coached by Herman Riddick that won North Carolina College’s first CIAA football Championship in 1953. 

However, Frank’s tenure at North Carolina College was halted when he was drafted into the United States Army in January 1954. Stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco, California, he was assigned as a Military Policeman and to special service, playing football and running track for most of his military career. He excelled in football, playing both offensive and defensive positions. His athletic prowess garnered the attention of several colleges. Upon his honorable discharge, the sought-after athlete would enter Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Oregon on yet another full football scholarship. Certainly, much more than an athlete, Frank understood his talents could financially undergird his deep longing to develop his intellectual curiosity. He was not afraid of breaking barriers or meeting challenges squarely. He was recognized not just for his athletic ability, but impactful influence and leadership. So, though the Civil Engineering Technology field was not readily open to minorities at the time, it did not deter him one bit from earning his degree in the field. It was also during his time in Oregon that Frank returned to Oxford on break and met the love of his life, Bessie Evans, at a picnic. The two fell in love and wed within just a few months, and the newlyweds made Klamath Falls their home while Frank completed school. Upon graduation, Frank signed a professional football contract with the National Football League; however, his career was derailed before getting started due to an old college injury.  He would go on to play several years of minor league football in the Washington, DC area once relocating to Arlington, VA in 1961 with Bessie.  

Once Frank and Bessie settled in Arlington, they immediately made Mt. Olive Baptist Church (MOBC) their committed place of worship. Having given his life to Jesus Christ at a young age, Frank understood the essentiality of being rooted in Christ and not forsaking the assembling of oneself as a body. A member of MOBC for 59 years, he served faithfully and tirelessly as a member of the Diaconate Ministry for nearly 40 years; and chaired various committees of the church. He also absolutely relished his Thursday afternoon mentoring time with the young students at Hoffman elementary school. 

Early in his professional career Frank found himself in settings in which he was a pioneer for change. Sometimes met with resistance or bias based solely upon the color of his skin rather than unmatched merit, he fought injustice at every hand. Frank was employed by the United States Civil Service Commission, holding the position of civil engineer with the Bureau of Public Roads, the United States Forest Service, the Corps of Engineers, and Coastal Engineering Research Center. Additionally, he served as a computer scientist and analyst for the United States Navy Department, and finally, computer configuration manager for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon under the supervision of General Colin Powell until his retirement in 1993.

The rhythm of Frank’s consciousness was always for the disinherited within the Arlington community, and his desire to close the achievement gap for people of color was his most notable platform. A well-respected community leader as both a volunteer and an elected official, he served on the Arlington County School Board from July 1984 until December 31, 2008 (the longest serving elected official in Arlington), serving as chairman of the Board several times. His leadership roles in various organizations were extensive: president of the National School Boards Southern Regional Conference; president of the Virginia School Boards Association; served on the Governor’s Commission on Youth Violence; member of the Board of Directors of Arlington Hospital; the Northern Virginia Hospice; the NAACP; founding member of the Arlington African American Leadership Coalition; president of the John M. Langston Citizens Association; volunteer for the Parent Teacher Associations at Glebe Elementary School, Williamsburg Middle School, and Washington-Lee High School (now Washington-Liberty); and numerous other organizations and clubs.

Frank also relished his time as a coach and mentor to the “youngsters” in the community, as he often referred to them. His love of football was evident; however, it was his deep desire and commitment to foster positive change and redirect the trajectory of one’s life that drove him to give so unselfishly to the youth. If he could get them on the field, he could keep them off the streets, and he could teach and instill life lessons.  

Frank and Bessie were always teaching their children, Stanley, Kenny, and Lori life lessons as well, whether in the backyard while gardening, around the house working on a project, the golf course, over the grill or stove cooking, or simply during a seated conversation on the front steps.  He cherished his time with his family and enjoyed immensely being the husband to his best friend, Bessie, until her passing on Valentine’s Day 2019.