A Determined Yankee: Challenges and Travels of Frank Elliott Sisson Ii

By Frank Elliott Sisson II

The photo on the cover of the book is thoughtful-looking Frank Elliott Sisson II at age nineteen, just prior to his admission to West Point as a new cadet in July 1947. Frank was determined to better himself in spite of the fact that the family simply did not have money to further his college education. He was determined to take care of this challenge by himself. Although Frank came from a family that was well-known by its accomplishments during the Civil War years, Franks father died in late 1940, when Frank was thirteen years old, and with four children to support by his widowed mother, there was little extra money to provide for more than basic needs of the family. The book tells the rest of the story which encompasses many exciting adventures in growing up, and later on, military and private life challenges. Along with the challenges were the many travels along the way that took Frank to many different cities and schools around the country while he was growing up, as well as many countries around the world during his later years. In spite of these challenges and travels, Frank was always the gentleman and representative of Christian morals, honorable dealings, and high-minded ethics. He founded an aviation marketing company from scratch that became quite successful and demonstrated his skill in business management. He was a product of a West Point education that molded his life to be a role model for people who knew him. You will find the story fascinating, fast-moving, and exciting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496948434

Frank Elliott Sisson II

The photo on the cover of the book is thoughtful-looking Frank Elliott Sisson II at age nineteen, just prior to his admission to West Point as a new cadet in July 1947. Frank was determined to better himself in spite of the fact that the family simply did not have money to further his college education. He was determined to take care of this challenge by himself. Although Frank came from a family that was well-known by its accomplishments during the Civil War years, Frank’s father died in late 1940, when Frank was thirteen years old, and with four children to support by his widowed mother, there was little extra money to provide for more than basic needs of the family. The book tells the rest of the story which encompasses many exciting adventures in growing up, and later on, military and private life challenges. Along with the challenges were the many travels along the way that took Frank to many different cities and schools around the country while he was growing up, as well as many countries around the world during his later years. In spite of these challenges and travels, Frank was always the gentleman and representative of Christian morals, honorable dealings, and high-minded ethics. He founded an aviation marketing company from scratch that became quite successful and demonstrated his skill in business management. He was a product of a West Point education that molded his life to be a role model for people who knew him. You will find the story fascinating, fast-moving, and exciting.

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© 2014 Frank Elliott Sisson II . All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/28/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4844-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4843-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014918717

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Part I

The Story

The Early Years

Heading South

Tampa Florida

Back To Louisiana

From Lousiana To Maryland

Off To Savannah

Heading North Again

Return To New Bedford

Off To Cape Cod

The Army Air Corps

West Point Prep School

West Point At Last

Our Wedding

Usaf Pilot Training

B-29 Eagle Crew Training

Japan

Dayton Ohio

Return To Cape Cod

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Sudbury Massachusetts

Okinawa

Back To The States

Short Hills

Jacksonville Florida

Washington Dc

Wichita Kansas

Frank Sisson & Company, Inc.

Sisson & Associates, Inc.

Aero Business Group, Inc.

Retirement

Part II

Pictures

Jonathan C. Hawes 1865

Mary Alice Hawes 1900

Frank Elliott Sisson, Sr. 1900

Elliott Hawes Sisson 1917

Lila Hazel Smith 1925

Frank And Nancy 1928

Siblings 1936-37

Buckley School Band 1940

Lawrence High Football Team 1944

Anne Matteson 1950

Cadet Frank Sisson 1951

Company D-2, Class Of 1951

Anne And Frank June 9, 1951

Sharp’s Tourist Home 1951

Usaf Pilot Training 1951

Three Generations 1952

5000 Bayside Drive 1958

West Falmouth Rental 1961

Bill, Lucy, Ben And Frank Iii 1964

Home On Old Forge Lane 1965

Soap Box Derby 1967

Kadena Golf Course 1969

The Graduate 1969

7862 Windward Way West 1978

6114 Kings Color Drive 1984

2233 N Penstemon 1986

Frank Elliott Sisson Ii 1988

Anne Sisson 1998

Office At Omni Center 1992 - 2005

To JoJo

Part I

THE STORY

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THE EARLY YEARS

It was a wintery morning with new snow covering the City of Brockton, Massachusetts, when Frank Elliott Sisson II was born on February 15, 1927, at the Brockton City Hospital. Baby Frank was me and I was the first son of Elliott Hawes and Lila Hazel Sisson and the second child born to this young family. My sister Nancy was born one year earlier, and was Queen of the Hill in the Sisson household. I would soon be called Frank, and Nancy, being a year senior at age one year, would assume the role of leadership of the Sisson siblings during the early formative years. Nancy had my father’s facial features, brunette hair and dark eyes; I had my mother’s features, blond hair and green eyes. My mother is pictured in the photograph section at the end of the book, about age 20. I was not happy looking like a lady, but everyone agreed that I did look like her. So be it!

My father was twenty-five years old at the time of my birth and my mother, who was nicknamed Jo, was twenty-two. We did not remain long in Brockton after my birth and soon moved to Pennsylvania for a short duration. My father was just getting started in the field of construction engineering. He had graduated from Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts, and later attended Norwich University in Vermont during World War I. A photo taken at Norwich is shown in the photograph section at the end of the book..

Norwich was a military college and my father wore a uniform as a cadet while he was there. I remember pictures of him riding a horse as Norwich taught cavalry tactics as well as general military training. I guess he expected to go off to war as an officer after graduating; Word War I was still raging. Fortunately the war ended before he graduated from Norwich. After finishing school, he married my mother, and joined Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation. Then he began his career in civil engineering.

My grandparents were Mary Alice Hawes Sisson and Frank Elliott Sisson. We always called them Garmee and Garmp. Mary Alice was the daughter of Whaling Captain Jonathan Capen Hawes of the whaleship Milo, who became famous for being the first person to give the location of the Confederate Cruiser, CSS Shenandoah that destroyed many Yankee whaleships and merchant vessels during course of the Civil War. The Milo was captured in the Bering Sea and ransomed by the Shenandoah to take prisoners from other whaleships to San Francisco. Upon arriving there, Captain Hawes reported the first news about the whereabouts of the Shenandoah to the world.

In 1874, a few years after returning from sea, he commissioned the artist Benjamin Russell to paint the scene that took place in the Bering Sea on that fateful day of June 23, 1865, so that the event would not be forgotten.

The Painting now belongs to the New Bedford Whaling Museum and is often on display. You can see a copy of the painting by going to a search engine on your computer and look for Destruction of Whale Ships in the Bering Sea, 1865 and stroll down until the painting comes into view. The painting has recorded the event, but missing has been the story behind the painting as to what, how and why it happened at all. That story has now been written by me and was published in 2008, with the title, A Ransomed Yankee. You can also view a picture of the Benjamin Russell painting by using an Internet search engine and search for A Ransomed Yankee, and scroll down to page 17.

The South had planned the mission a few years before it took place, and had planned to destroy the Yankee whaling fleet with the rebel warship, CSS Shenandoah, and cause economic hardship on the North to help win the war for the South. Prior to meeting with the Milo in the Bering Sea, the North was well aware of the CSS Shenandoah, but had no idea where the ship was or where it would strike again. The world found out later where the Shenandoah was at the time. The news came after Captain Hawes returned to San Francisco with over 200 prisoners after the Milo was captured and ransomed by Captain James Waddell, commander of the Confederate Shenandoah. Captain Hawes retired from the sea in 1869, after returning to New Bedford from that five and a half years whaling voyage. After his retirement, Captain Hawes went into the lumber business in Massachusetts and he ultimately acquired over 33,000 acres of land and built the business into a large enterprise over the years. Captain Hawes died in 1908, and left his estate to his children, Frederick, my grandmother Mary Alice, and Grace. Over time, Frederick eventually bought out his siblings and took over the entire estate.

Of course, when I was very young, I had no thoughts about my family, where I came from or where they came from. I was mainly interested in having something to eat when I was hungry, which was most of the time. If I was not hungry, I was usually fast asleep. Following my birth in Brockton, my parents along with Nancy moved to Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, for a short period. I do not remember the place, only that I remember the name of the town, as I was just a year old at that time. I have a copy of my father’s Identification Card issued at the time and his photo is on the card. We lived there for only a short period of time and then moved back to Massachusetts to a place called Somerset.

Somerset was a small community just outside Fall River, Massachusetts, on the western side of the Taunton River that flowed through the city. Our home had a white picket fence around the house and a gate that led to a sidewalk. I remember the baby carriage rides that took place while living there, but not much else. I do remember the noises of the night after going to bed. It seems I could hear everything going on but could not understand where the noises were coming from or exactly what they were. It was very strange and scary and I was concerned and thought they may be sounds of danger. It is funny how one remembers these things and how really large and dangerous the world seems to be when we are very young.

At that time, my father had a 1929 Ford Roadster that was typical of the day. It was a box on wheels with insufficient power to overcome all obstacles, particularly steep hills. After crossing a bridge over the river towards Fall River, the road made a steep rise over a long hill. Unfortunately, my father’s car could never quite make it up the hill going forward. He had to turn the car around, go into reverse gear, and back up the hill to get to the top. It seems that the car had more power in reverse than in forward. This was merely a typical sign of the times back in the late 1920’s.

I remember taking trips in the car to visit my grandparents in New Bedford on many occasions. They lived at 190 Bedford Street in New Bedford, about forty miles or so from Somerset. I became accustomed to the house at 190 Bedford Street as somehow belonging to me. Every time the family took this trip, we backed up that long hill in order to get to the top. Both Nancy and I looked forward to backing up that hill on the way to New Bedford. From the top of the hill, it was an easy drive to New Bedford. I also remember very slightly visiting older relatives in New Bedford from time to time. These included the Hawes family and the Sisson family, parents or siblings of Garmee and Garmp. As I recall, they seemed ancient to me as they were so old and I was so young! During some of these visits, a photographer appeared on the scene and took pictures of Nancy and me. Shown in the Picture Section at the end of the book is one of those portraits of Nancy and me, sitting on a chair in my grandparent’s living room at 190 Bedford Street in New Bedford. I was too young to remember the details, but the picture tells the story. The family stayed in Somerset for about a year while my father completed work on his project for Stone & Webster. Following that assignment, in 1931 the family moved to Amherst, Virginia, for another Stone & Webster project. This was to be a relatively short assignment and, as such, the family moved into a large rooming house which had been a southern estate at one time in earlier years. I remember a few things about Amherst but not much. There were several families living there and it was a very friendly atmosphere. The house was set back from the main road quite a distance and not far away was at least one small cottage that housed a black family with small children, both boys and girls. One of the boys was close to my age and naturally we got along quite well and enjoyed each other’s company.

I remember that my mother and father occasionally went out on weekend nights for dinner and entertainment. Nancy and I stayed home and were supervised by adults who also lived in the large house. We did not mind these nights out, because my parents always brought a toy gift back from wherever they went and we always looked forward to whatever they would bring. One night, they did not return on time and we were quite worried. Finally they did get back home. I do not remember what took place but I recall that there had been an accident with the car, but fortunately no one was hurt and we all got back to normal right away. Routine presents were delivered as usual of course, and everything was all right. I received a small drum and really enjoyed playing with that drum and showing off my talent to anyone who would listen. From then on, I wanted to be a drummer when I grew up! One thing I remember was to have a sip of left-over coffee from my parent’s coffee cups after breakfast. We were never allowed to have a cup of coffee, but I certainly was able to sample the taste from left over coffee at the bottom of the cup. This was one of my delights when I was young!

We remained in Amherst for a relatively short time, less than a year, and in 1932, headed back to the north in a well packed car to New Jersey where my father had another project for Stone & Webster. It seemed like only a very short time before we moved into a house in Passaic, New Jersey, just a stone’s throw from New York City across the Hudson River. Somehow, it became natural for us to move from here to there, and so Nancy and I thought nothing of it. Passaic was different from Amherst, and it was quite noticeable to us, even at young ages. Gone was the southern mansion on acres of land and now we lived in a city neighborhood. We lived on a hill of sorts and had a nice front grassy lawn which we used for somersaulting on many daily occasions. I remember that one of our neighbors took a trip to France during our stay there, and I thought it must be somewhere far away across the ocean.

One night, our landlord took Nancy and me and some other young people to Madison Square Garden in New York City to attend a rodeo show. It apparently was sponsored by Mrs. Randolph Hearst and others. This was something very special to Nancy and me, as we had never gone to such a big event, anywhere. Nancy was six years old, and I, five. A photo was taken showing Mrs. Hearst in a white hat surrounded by supporters. A young boy in the photo looks like me, but on further research, it is not. Near the end of the show there was a drawing for a pony to be given away to the winner. Believe it or not, my ticket number was called out of a crowd of thousands and I remember walking all the way from my seat way up in the higher rows, down to the arena floor to claim the prize and to get on the pony and ride around the arena. I was around five years old at the time and totally unprepared for the event. I was met by movie actress Nancy Carroll, who I remember had on very red lipstick and, I believe gave me a big kiss for all to see. That moment was the highlight of my life so far. After that, I do not remember what happened to the pony as we never did see it again.

From Passaic, my father had a short assignment in the city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and the whole family jumped in our car and drove there. We arrived in December 1933 and I recall snow on the ground. We moved into a house high on a hill and we could see for miles around and below our house. We did not stay there very long, but I do remember that my mother had a lady friend who lived down the hill in a townhouse somewhere at the bottom of the hill that we lived on. When ever we visited this lady, she offered us candy and I remember that it had a strange taste, but no matter, it tasted good to me. I always liked going to her house. I do not remember what my father did at his work, but I do remember that whenever he and my mother went out for the evening, they always brought a gift back for Nancy and me. We would anticipate with great anxiety what our gifts would be. I believe we lived in a duplex in Pottsville, with our landlord living in the same house. I remember that they watched over Nancy and me when our parents went out for the evening.

I also began my schooling in Pottsville, entering the first grade after we moved there. At that time, school was not my favorite thing but I had no choice but to go and face the music, so to speak. I vaguely remember going to and from school and I also remember taking a bus both ways, a school bus, no doubt. I remember learning how to read and work with numbers, and I also learned how to take care of myself when out in the world all alone. One thing that bothered me most was the long time between leaving school and getting home. During this time, I had a very difficult time waiting to go to the bathroom, and on more than one occasion, I had a slight problem before getting home. I am sure my mother was greatly upset when she discovered that my pants were wet. To me, I had no choice as I would never consider exposing myself under any circumstance! My mother had taught me never to expose myself and I always considered that the top priority, even under the most trying conditions. Needless to say, this situation did not last very long as we moved away from Pottsville and the long bus ride to and from school was over. I never had that problem again.

HEADING SOUTH

We did not stay very long in Pottsville, and soon we were on our way again to a far off place, Lake Charles, Louisiana. This was sometime in 1934 and I could not imagine how life would be living in the South. I soon found out. I do not remember the exact route we took to travel from Pottsville to Lake Charles, but I do remember staying at hotels along the way. My father and mother packed the car with all our belongings and Nancy and I got in the back seat and the journey began. Most of the roads were two lanes, so it took a long time. When we got behind a slow moving car, or truck, it was painful, but my father was a very careful driver and we never felt anything but safe all the time. It seemed as though we were never going to get to Lake Charles and riding in the car was not easy after the first few miles. I enjoyed the stops at hotels and eating in the hotel dining rooms; that was fun. I am sure my father and mother were just as excited as we were about the future. Neither had been far from home before, and never to the South.

On and on we went, spending nights in hotels along the way. Finally, we arrived in Lake Charles. The next thing that happened, we moved into a small, one-story house that my parents had rented for the duration of our stay there. It was close to the center of Lake Charles, which was not a very large town, but our house was convenient to such places as the local movie theater and school. School was my greatest challenge at the beginning. Unfortunately, Nancy and I entered school after the semester had already started, so all the students knew each other, but not us. This made us the new kids on the block. I did not like being the new kid, but I had no choice. Nancy did not appear to be disturbed at all, but I was.

The first day of school was one to remember. I entered the second grade class in a neighborhood school that was segregated for whites only. Colored students went to colored schools; these schools were not funded as much as the white schools and I know that the cultures were different. In my school, I took note of the fact that everyone spoke quite differently than we Yankees did; they spoke with a southern accent. After all, we were now in the Deep South, and the Civil War had ended only about seventy years before. Lake Charles was Rebel land, and all the local folks hated Yankees. It did not take long for me to realize that I needed to appear to be one of them. The first day of school, I spoke with my normal New England accent. I remember that after school on the first day, there was a fight on the school grounds between two tough boys. I visualized myself being one of the contestants, and did not like what I saw. I did not want to appear to be different than all the others at school, so the second day of school, I developed the most accurate and acceptable Southern accent you could ever imagine. To this day, I still have the Southern accent and it will never go away. I must say, I never did have a fight on school grounds as I must have impressed everyone that I was one of