The Landmark Resident Profile:
Mr. Frank Blair

When I met Frank Blair he was busy in the Landmark's community kitchen stirring a big pot of his homemade vegetable beef soup. The aroma almost gently lifts you by the nose and brings you over to the stove! Frank explained that he was making the soup for a Landmark pot-luck lunch. I leaned over and inhaled…ahhh! Frank was already reaching for a bowl and spoon and in a minute I was in soup heaven. Thanks, Frank!

Frank was born in 1927 in a small mining community in Sergeant Location, Minnesota. His parents raised 5 boys and 6 girls. His father worked in the mines and they lived in a home owned by the mining company. His family also had a livestock farm on the property. For fun, Frank and his boyhood friends would play on the huge mounds of iron waste ore extracted from the mines. They also dug out their own swimming hole in a water way known as Brain Creek. In 1940, Frank's family moved to the town of Keewatin, just a few miles from Sergeant Location.

Frank attended Robert L. Downey High School in Keewatin. But soon he got the urge to see the world, and -- by fibbing about his age (he was 16 at the time) -- he enlisted in the Navy. Frank did his basic training at Ferragut, Idaho, and then completed amphibious training in Little Creek, Virginia. By 1943 he was on his way to Europe with the Landing Craft Infantry. Frank saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Great Britain.

By 1946 Frank was back home, a very different man than the 16 year old recruit. Frank worked in the mines for a while, but he soon moved to Milwaukee. By 1947 Frank was working for International Harvester. Soon he had an apprenticeship as a bricklayer. Frank worked professionally as a bricklayer until his retirement at age 62.

Frank met his wife Carolyn at Milwaukee's Majestic Theater, where she worked selling tickets. They married in 1949, and were married for 54 years until her passing. Frank and Carolyn had a daughter, Sandra, and a son, Randy. Frank has 4 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Three years ago, a knee operation left Frank at odds with all the staircases in his home, so he chose to move to move into The Landmark. "I like it here very much." says Frank. "I run the bingo games; they call me the Bingo Sheriff! I also manage the country store, and as you can see, I love to cook. The Landmark is very much home to me. I love the residents, and the staff is first-rate."

Frank goes on to tell about his first days at the Landmark: "My initiation at the Landmark was winning an award for the best-decorated balcony at Christmas time. After I won, we had a party to celebrate the award winners. I went back up to my apartment about 10:00 in the evening. Soon, there was a knock on my door. When I answered it, nine women residents were asking to come in and see the balcony close up! I knew the Landmark was for me."