By Nathan Delgado
Frank Gravitt, retired and living in Wakefield, is a simple man. He likes to wake up late. He plays with his dog. You wouldn’t know that his life has been full of adventure.
Frank grew up with his sister in a small city in Oklahoma. In high school, Frank played football, which was his passion. Even though his team wasn’t really good, he was an All-Conference tackle and nose guard. He even broke his nose in one game and needed surgery on it. On Friday nights after the games, Frank would enjoy driving around with his friends to different drive-thrus, always happy to meet new people. It was at this time that he got his first job moving furniture. Here he learned what hard work was.
Right out of high school, in 1968, Frank was drafted into the army. Having heard horror stories and having friends who had been killed in the war, he was reluctant to join. He decided instead to enlist in the Air Force. This allowed Frank to travel to many different cities and countries. In 1969 he was stationed in Mississippi during a massive hurricane. He stayed in the city to help clean up all the damage and destruction. He also got to live in places like Italy and Germany. While in Italy he got into a serious car accident. Luckily for Frank, a doctor had driven by and called for help, or he could have died. His whole left leg was broken and his foot was shattered. The doctors at the hospital even told him he wouldn’t be able to walk again. Frank spent nearly a year in physical therapy, proving them wrong and regaining his ability to walk. With his five-year term with the Air Force up, he decided to go back home.
Frank would go on to attend the University of Oklahoma, where he liked to go to all the football games. After graduation, he bounced around a few jobs before settling in OSHA. Again, he was able to travel with his job, living in many different cities like Chicago and Dallas. He even got the opportunity to see the construction of Gillette Stadium, and to have lunch with Robert Kraft.
Frank has been married twice and has three children. Now grown up, they live in different states: California, Seattle, and North Carolina. Frank has multiple grandchildren that range the ages of three to seventeen. When his family comes to visit, he loves to spend time with and entertain his three-year-old granddaughter.
Frank lives in Wakefield with his girlfriend of thirty years. After a lifetime of visiting different places, he still loves to travel. His recent trips included the Mediterranean Sea and Ireland. Frank had a great time and is planning another big trip soon!
