Necrology

Francis “Phrannque” Thoreux Sciamanda '71

Apr. 23, 1949-Dec. 27, 2018

Francis “Phrannque” Thoreux Sciamanda ’71 died in Spokane, Wash., on Dec. 27, 2018. Born in Philadelphia on April 23, 1949, he moved with his family first to New York City and later to West Nyack, N.Y. He came to Hamilton from Saddle River (N.J.) Country Day School, where his mother, a native of France, chaired the foreign language department. She saw to it that Frank was bilingual from an early age. He would eventually acquire dual citizenship in the U.S. and France.

On the Hill, Frank created a major in modern languages that included study of German and Russian as well as French. He also created a nickname for himself, perhaps best described as a quasi-French phonetic spelling of his American nickname: “Phrannque.” He would use it from time to time throughout his life. As a senior, he was president of Gryphon, a fraternity with which he at first had a somewhat distant relationship: he took his meals there but did not seek membership. A fraternity brother noted that, as the Gryphon’s president he would not be required to pay any fees, so he ran for the office and was elected.

Frank’s academic achievement was distinguished. As a sophomore, he was awarded the Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship for having earned the highest grades in his class as a freshman and the Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship for comparable achievement. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a senior and graduated with honors in modern languages.

Intending to pursue graduate studies in literature, Frank applied to several eastern universities but ultimately jumped at the chance to go to Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., for a couple of reasons: he wanted to strike out on his own, and also because that university offered him a generous financial aid package that would allow him to complete not only a master’s degree but also his doctorate. 

His studies proceeded apace, and, in 1977, he notified the Hamilton Alumni Review that he had successfully completed his doctoral comprehensive examinations and was preparing to begin research on “possible theoretical and methodological approaches to comparative neo-classicism.” During this period, he assisted in the creation of the 1978 edition of the university’s yearbook, The Chinook; worked at the university’s radio station, KUGR; and was editor-in-chief of its newspaper, The Daily Evergreen. But, for unknown reasons, he did not complete either postgraduate degree.

Nonetheless, he remained in Pullman, and, beginning in 1981, worked in various staff positions at WSU. For a time, he worked as a shipping and receiving clerk in the facilities operations department. In 1992, he was hired by the university library’s Manuscript, Archives, and Special Collections Department (MASC). While there, he was one of a number of contributors to a major study of Lake Roosevelt, which is formed by the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Northeastern Washington, and the National Recreation Area, which was established along the river’s shores. A fan of science fiction, he helped prepare the program book for MosCon, a conference hosted by Moscow Science Fiction Conventions, Inc., and held in Moscow, Idaho, near Pullman.

He stepped away from his position at MASC in 1997 but would continue to work at WSU. In 2006, he was inducted into the university’s Quarter Century Club upon completing 25 years of service. He retired in 2008.

In retirement, Frank continued to pursue his interest in foreign languages, studying Chinese. This was not simply for his own amusement. He took online classes in the language through a Dutch University while proofreading business lectures and papers in English for a professor whom he had befriended and who worked at a Chinese university. He was also a member of a French club and an avid reader, continuing his interest in science fiction. Late in his mother’s life, he also assumed responsibility for her care; she had moved to South Spokane in 1982 and remained until her death 30 years later..

Francis T. Sciamanda is survived by his brother, and a niece and nephew, as well as his close friends Donna Bailly and her daughter Michaela.

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