Franklin Minerva ’79
Franklin Minerva ’79 died peacefully of cancer on April 20 in New York City. Frank was born on June 23, 1957, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He recovered from Hodgkin’s lymphoma in high school, leading his friends to dub him “Fearless Frank.” At Dartmouth Frank joined Foley House and loved to visit the Skiway, watch foreign films, and spend hours discussing art and literature. He participated in the foreign study program in Florence, Italy, to study art. Frank majored in architectural design and art history. He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and then worked as a risk analyst, underwriting infrastructure deals in the Americas. In 1989 Frank married Lisa Danzig of Savannah, Georgia. They had daughter Adelaide and twin sons Theodore ’18 and Benjamin. They lived on Riverside Drive in New York City. Frank loved skiing, sailing, walks with his standard poodle Ollie, and engaging in philosophical debate. Friends remember Frank as “easygoing and liked by all who knew him and a discriminating alternative thinker and an excellent conversationalist, adding personal insight (and humor) on any topic.” Another friend adds: “Frank encouraged me to take classes in art history, which wholly changed my career path and interests. Frank always retained his overarching curiosity, in particular for my teaching and work in art history. He magnanimously encouraged people in their pursuits and was one of the most creatively open-minded people I’ve known.” Frank lived a full and engaged life and will be profoundly missed.
