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Mr. Frank Anthony Swingle

• Born on September 18, 1923 in San Diego

• Father: Walter Tennyson “Tenny” Swingle, born in 1871 in Pennsylvania. 

• Mother: Maude Kellerman; born in 1888 and died four days shy of 104

• Wife: Mary Appel

• Married on June 26, 1947, for 68 years; she died in 2016 at 89

• Children: Susan and Frank Jr.

• Four granddaughters and six great-grandchildren

A few minutes with Frank

Frank's Story

(First ten pages – rough draft)

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Chapter 6

Centenarian

Frank Swingle

My friend lines the blind golfer up. The guy can beat me, and he's blind."

      

December 3, 2023

As an engineer, I had a bad habit of keeping little nuts and bolts in my mouth. A year ago in February, I had a half-inch-long number ten bolt stuck in my throat. This was at four in the morning. So, I got up, and I got my mirror and a flashlight and a pair of long nose pliers, and I sat there trying to find that number ten bolt to pull it out because I hadn't swallowed it all the way. Well, I couldn't get it that way. Since I only lived about a mile from the hospital, I jumped in my car and drove there at rapid speed. I went in and told them I swallowed a bolt, and it wasn't all the way down. They did a CAT scan or an X-ray but couldn't find it. Well, it turned out I was sleepwalking. I didn't have a bolt in my throat at all.

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###

My father was a botanist for the Department of Agriculture. Probably the most respected citrus botanist in the world – except for a gentleman from Japan named Tanaka. 

My father, Walter Tennyson “Tenny” Swingle, sometimes worked in Washington, D.C., spending the rest of the year in California. We lived in San Diego in the summer and Indo in the winter. For the first eleven years of my life, we lived in a small house on the Government Experiment Station,[1] about two blocks from our date garden in Indio.

 

I had a brother, John, and a sister, Stella, twins who were three years older, and a younger sister, Mary, who was five years younger. 

It was a wonderful life.

My father went to work for the Department of Ag at nineteen, back in 1890. He was primarily responsible for introducing foods from other countries that could be grown in America. One of his outstanding discoveries was that dates could grow in Coachella Valley.[2]

At first, the dates would not grow or ripen correctly. The Secretary of Ag called my father and said, "Congratulations, Swingle." My father was surprised. The Secretary said, "You have proved we can't grow dates in this country." So, my father said, "Well, I have one more experiment, Mr. Secretary. Please let me do this last one, then I’ll agree with you."

So, he did. My father’s experiment concerned the atmosphere's composition of nitrogen and oxygen, where these glass tubes enclosed the date fronds growing on the trees. They were five inches in diameter instead of the supposed seven. The trees put out more dates than could ripen. By cutting out some of the buds, the others grew. So that's what everybody does now. They prune the garden of unnecessary buds.

###

The growers in Algerian wouldn't let my father have the Medjool date[3] variety because the “King of Dates” was reserved for only Arabian chiefs. That was around 1900. But in 1926, the Medjool variety died out from a disease, and then the Algerian growers said to Tenny, "You can take them now because they're all dying."

Well, my father was a plant pathologist, too, and he cured the disease. And as a result, the Medjool is now the number one date you can buy. But it wasn’t available to us for twenty years because we weren't Arabs.

These giant trees are beautiful. The females produce a frond filled with little baby-size buds, which may eventually turn into a date. You must have one male tree, the frond produces pollen), and that male can pollinate maybe fifty female trees. 

In the old country in North Africa, the pollen from the male tree was often allowed to blow to an adjacent female. But in this country, if you're going to pollinate it by hand, you only need the pollen from one male to pollinate fifty or more females. 

My Father Tenny

My father got a bachelor's degree in 1890 and then worked for the Department of Ag. In the process, he got sent over to Europe, and he studied both French and German scientists. As a result, Kansas State University[4] gave him an honorary master's degree.

Then, in 1926, he discovered that if you have two different species and you cross them, you will get a result that is different from the parent in the ways of size, color, taste, and day of ripening, all of which are new. He coined the term Metaxenia.[5]

In 1926, he went before a group of botanists at Cornell University[6] to announce his findings. And all the old timers said, "Oh, that young man doesn't know what he's talking about." Well, when they went to the meeting three years later, my father had evidence that he was right. Anyway, when he did that, Kansas State then gave him a doctorate. He had accomplished a great deal. He had proved something.

My father’s mother died when my father was sixteen, but his father remarried and had two children: Charles and Leonhardt. Charles went to work at the Department of Ag, and when people learned his name was Charles Swingle, they said, "Oh, you're Dr. Swingle's brother." 

Well, Charles decided he'd fix that. So, he left the Department for a while and returned to earn a valid doctor's degree from Kansas State. Then, when he returned to the Department of Ag, people would say, "Oh, you're Dr. Swingle's brother," Charles would say, "No, he is Dr. Swingle's brother." 

###

My father was also interested in optics. He had been in Europe with some scientific experts and got to know Karl Zeiss personally. According to my father's calculations, Karl Zeiss ground a lens out of diamonds. So, my father was quite active. 

He was also interested in the numeral system. I was surprised to learn that 700 years after Christ, the Europeans used the old Roman numerals, and there was no way of multiplying or dividing. The Phoenicians came up with the idea of zeros, which was wonderful. My father said it was too bad we didn't have twelve fingers and twelve toes, where one zero would be twelve, because that would be much better than our decimal system – which he called the “dozimal system.” He used to strop his razor to make it sharp by using the dozimal system. He would go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, then “huff” for ten, “lang” for eleven, and “deuze” for twelve.

This reminds me of when I was in school in Fairhope,[7] Alabama. There was a family named Arnold, and they all had twelve fingers and toes. The extra fingers were removed, but the toes were left there, and they were proud of them. They took off their shoes and showed their twelve toes frequently. I can remember seeing those toes multiple times. 

###

Back to D.C.

In 1935, my father was called back to Washington, D.C., to work full-time. So, the family moved back.

My mother drove her four children – me, Stella, John, and Mary – back to D.C. John and I got her to stop at all the state lines. He and I would get out and step back and forth across the line. So, people would say, "Have you ever been to Wyoming?" 

"Well, we've been there fifty times."

My older sister, Stella, thought that was ridiculous. She was very happy when we got to the U.S. 30 bridge[8] that crosses the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois because we couldn't stop in the middle of the bridge.

###

Mother Maude

My mother – Maude Kellerman Swingle, born in 1888 – was a junior in high school in 1906 when her father – my Grandpa William Ashbrook Kellerman – took a two-year sabbatical with my mother and her family to live and tour Europe.

They traveled to Spain, Portugal, France, and Germany.

When they returned to Columbus, Ohio, my mother visited Ohio State University[9] and said she'd like to enroll as a student there. They told her, "Well, you haven't even finished high school yet. You've got to go back and get a high school degree."

My mother was pretty upset, and Grandpa said, "You've got more gumption than that. Go back and tell them what you learned in Europe." So, she did. She took a test in Portuguese, French, Spanish, German, and Latin and passed them all. She was admitted to Ohio State as a junior. Then, a year or two later, she got her Phi Beta Kappa[10] key. She was pretty accomplished.

My mother also worked for the Department of Ag before she married my father, Tenny Swingle. She did help my father; they wrote quite a book on the citrus family.[11] After marriage, she was not employed until my father died. Then, she did some work to earn social security. 

###

Grandpa[12] went to Cornell University. He was a young student there and became an excellent botanist and became head of botany at Kansas State University, the University of Kentucky,[13] and Ohio State. Yes, all three. 

Grandpa taught my father at Kansas State when my father was seventeen. Ounce, Grandpa turned the class over to my father because Grandma Stella Kellerman was going to have a baby – my mother, Maude.

###

On my mother's side, when we lived in San Diego, Grandma lived just a block away, around the corner. She didn't like the hot and dry Indio[14] desert, where we developed the date garden,[15] so she stayed in San Diego. 

Often, Grandpa took his students from the University of Kentucky and Ohio State University, where he taught, down to Central America, giving students college credit for their research and study outside the university. He was one of only a few teachers to do this. In 1922, during one of these study-abroad semesters in Panama, Grandpa Tenny died of yellow fever[16] at seventy-one.

###

Life During the Depression

Mr. Frank, please tell me what happened in your family during the Depression.

My father’s salary was at the top of where he could go without being a political appointee. And yet, when we lived in San Diego, we lived in a house that didn't have more than 1,600 square feet. There were small rooms in this little house. Even though my father made less than $6,000 a year – in the Thirties – we were better off than most people; others didn't have anything.

Once, around 1937, Sunkist[17] out in California wanted to pay my father ten times what the government paid. But my father had already, for forty years, been doing things, you might say, for the good of the country.

He and my mother talked about it and then turned down Sunkist’s offer because he knew that whatever he learned, Sunkist would know, and only Sunkist. Logically. And to make money and keep this information from others was against my father’s principles. 

Two Hispanic women – Tilly and Francisca – served as our live-in maids. They started with us in Indio. A fair number of Hispanics who picked crops were living in Indio permanently. (Indio’s population is nearly seventy percent Hispanic or Latino.) So, we took Tilly and Francisca with us when we went to San Diego.

###

Life was Wonderful

What was your life like in the Twenties? 

Well, it was wonderful. At my young age, a typical day in Indio was to get dressed, and then my sister Stella and I would walk two blocks over to the Crane Date Garden,[18] where there were horses. They weren’t our horses, but they were available to us. We would saddle up two horses and ride for an hour, take the horses back, walk home, and have breakfast. Then we studied for an hour and a half.

My mother taught us. She got the curriculum, which shows what should be taught in each grade, from the Calvert School[19] in Baltimore. 

In my case, I was up to date when I went to public school for the first time in the third grade. In my brother and older sister's case, they first attended public school in the fifth grade. In all cases, we were equal to the public school academically, which had their students going six to eight hours a day when we were only going an hour and a half.

After studying, we'd swim[20] and have lunch, and then John and I would talk and visit with the date garden workers. I always wondered why my father didn't work like other people's fathers. Well, he used his brain.

So, life in the Twenties (and Thirties) was perfect. I was only seven in the Twenties. Another family lived farther away from the main road than we did on the Government Experiment Station. The son, Jim Maghy, and I went to high school. I used to go to bed at night with a rope hanging out the window tied around my foot. He'd come by and pull the rope, wake me up, and I'd walk to the corner with him.

###

Joining The Navy

I graduated from high school in Washington, D.C., and went to Cornell University in 1941. Then World War II broke out. I joined the Navy as a reserve, and then I reported for active service in July 1943. The Navy V-12 program[21] came about, and I returned to Cornell in uniform and graduated in 1944. Probably a thousand students had graduated from colleges all over the U.S. with a basic scientific degree and went to Asbury Park, New Jersey[22] to wait for the availability of a Midshipman School.[23]

 

After a few months, the whole outfit – except for thirteen of us, got shipped down to Annapolis[24] for a quick four-month deal to earn their commission.

I was one of the thirteen passed over for the Annapolis Midshipman School because my eyesight was under the limit, and I didn't pass the eye test. Out of the other twelve people, one was a football player from Minnesota whose leg injury hadn’t yet healed. 

(Sidenote: Another student not selected to be one of the thirteen to advance to Annapolis was Hicks “Brick” Waldron,[25] who has quite a story of his own. He and Frank were cutups at the Cornell Midshipman School.)

Eventually, thirteen of us were sent to Pre-Midshipman School at Cornell. I had the advantage of taking two of the three courses as an undergraduate and became top of the class. 

Being the number one graduate, I was assigned to the WWI destroyer USS Barney.[26] The destroyers were considered the best, most desirable place for a young officer. 

After a month or so, we went around to the Bayonne Shipyard,[27] and they took out one of the guns and a boiler from one of the fire rooms.

Then, when the war ended in Europe, we were sent to fight in the Pacific.[28] When we got to the Panama Canal,[29] they dropped the bomb. So, the Pacific fight was about over.

I spent that summer in San Diego, my hometown, for three months and then was summoned back to a newer Destroyer stationed in New York.

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Footnotes

[1] The year was 1904 when the USDA launched a Date Experimental Station in Coachella Valley. With the backing of UC Riverside, this establishment delved into the intricacies of date palm growth. Through rigorous testing and experimentation, they sought to enhance cultivation techniques, create new varietals, and tackle obstacles faced by farmers. By 1955, an astounding eighty-five percent of all dates in the U.S. originated from Coachella Valley due to the introduction of Deglet Noor offshoots from Algeria. Blessed with favorable weather conditions and ample water sources, this region earned monikers such as "Allah's Garden" or "Our Araby," solidifying its status as a prime location for date production.

[2] Bathed in the blazing sun of Southern California lies the Coachella Valley, also known as Greater Palm Springs or the Palm Springs Area. It spans forty-five miles southeast, starting at the San Gorgonio Pass and ending at the northern tip of Salton Sea and Imperial Valley. This desert oasis is about fifteen miles wide and encircled by mountain ranges on all sides.

[3] Ripe fruits from far-away lands, the Medjool dates of Tunisia and Morocco have garnered a reputation for their exceptional size, bold taste, and delightful chewiness. These coveted delicacies were once reserved only for the elite and hailed as the regal "King of Dates." Beyond their natural sweetness, these fruits also provide numerous health benefits such as fiber, potassium, antioxidants, and essential nutrients. Through the determined efforts of Tenny Swingle, they now flourish in many corners of the world.

[4] During the height of the Civil War in 1863, Kansas joined the U.S. During this tumultuous time, there was an urgent push to bring Kansas State University into being. This was brought to life through the Morrill Act; Manhattan, Kansas welcomed this pioneering college. It remains as the oldest publicly funded university in the state.

[5] Dear readers, the words metaxenia and Xenia were foreign to me, but they held the key to understanding the complex relationship between pollen and plants. Xenia was the direct manipulation of seeds and fruits by pollen, while metaxenia referred to how pollen could alter even the outer layers of a fruit.

[6] In the small town of Ithaca, New York lies Cornell University – a private research institution and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, it has solidified its reputation for academic excellence, producing successful alumni and making significant contributions to various industries through its research and educational programs.

[7]  Perched on the edge of Mobile Bay, you'll find the idyllic town of Fairhope. Just six miles south of Daphne and ten miles south of Spanish Fort, this charming city is intersected by U.S. Route 98 (better known as Greeno Road), which runs from north to south. Fairhope's landscape is defined by its sloping plateau, creating a unique setting that draws in visitors and residents alike. In fact, "Fairhope Avenue" was even featured as one of the properties in the 1910 edition of The Landlord's Game – a predecessor to the beloved Monopoly game we know today.

[8] In Clinton, Iowa, stands a suspension bridge affectionately known by residents as the South Bridge or the Gateway Bridge. Its steel structure stretches across the mighty Mississippi River, uniting the neighboring states of Iowa and Illinois and serving as a vital passageway for traffic on U.S. Route 30 just below Fulton, Illinois. The narrow expanse of the bridge allows only two lanes for vehicles to traverse, making it a constant hubbub of activity and movement.

[9] Established in 1870 as a public research university in Columbus, Ohio State University stands as one of the largest and most prestigious institutions in the country.

[10] Established in 1776, the Phi Beta Kappa Society (ΦΒΚ) stands as America's oldest academic honor society, renowned for its unwavering criteria and dedication to promoting excellence in liberal arts and sciences. Its prestigious membership is reserved for the most exceptional students from top-tier American colleges and universities. As the first fraternity bearing Greek letters, it originated at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Its members include seventeen past U.S. presidents, forty Supreme Court justices, and one hundred thirty-six Nobel laureates.

[11] “Citropsis, a new Tropical Africal Genus Allied to Citrus Fruit” - January 1, 1914. They were later co-authors on a publication in 1938, a comprehensive book detailing the thriving citrus trade.

[12] Frank's grandfather, William Ashbrook Kellerman, was born in Ashville, Ohio. He tied the knot with Stella V. Dennis sometime during the year of 1876. William was an extraordinary American biologist, specializing in botany and mycology, as well as practicing photography on the side. Mycology refers to the study of fungi, encompassing everything from their classification and genetics to their biochemical properties and human uses. These diverse organisms can serve as tinder, nourishment, traditional medicine, mind-altering substances, toxins, and sources of infection for humans.

[13] In Lexington, the University of Kentucky was founded in 1865 by visionary John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky. Along with its sister institution, Kentucky State University, it serves as a land-grant university for the state. Its student body boasts over 33,000 individuals, making it the largest university in Kentucky. It received the distinguished title of "R1: Doctoral University – Very high research activity." In 2018 alone, the University invested $393 million in research and development endeavors, claiming the rank of sixty-third nationwide.

[14] In the arid landscape of Riverside County, in the Coachella Valley of the Colorado Desert, lies Indio. It’s a hot and parched oasis, surrounded by desert resorts. In the heart of the valley, just twenty-three miles from Palm Springs, Indio is one of the largest cities in the region, attracting a diverse population. With its roots deeply intertwined with agriculture, particularly the cultivation of dates, this city – whose name pays homage to its Native American history – proudly boasts an abundance of date palms and date gardens.

[15] The Coachella Valley's climate is heavily influenced by its geographical features. The valley is surrounded by towering mountains on three sides, leading to consistently warm temperatures year-round. It boasts some of the warmest winters west of the Rocky Mountains, with Indio reaching an average high of 89.5°F and a low of 62.1°F. However, during the summer months, it is not uncommon for temperatures to soar above 108°F and even surpass 120°F. Nighttime lows also remain high, often hovering above 82°F. In fact, in 1905, this region experienced its highest recorded temperature of 125°F.

[16] Yellow Fever is commonly transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito, often during the daytime. While this disease is most prevalent in rural areas, it can be found in urban settings. Those traveling to countries with high risk for Yellow Fever, such as Panama or northern South America, are typically advised to receive a vaccination. In fact, some countries may require proof of immunization before allowing entry into their territory.

[17] Established in 1893 by a collective of California farmers specializing in citrus, Sunkist is a cooperative organization dedicated to promoting fresh produce. With a rich history and expansive reach, Sunkist Growers has become a renowned name in the world of agriculture. Their primary focus lies on their diverse selection of citrus fruits, including but not limited to oranges, lemons, grapefruits, tangerines, and limes. These premium fruits are distributed globally via Sunkist's extensive international network.

[18] In the sun-kissed Coachella Valley of Southern California, more precisely Indio, is the Crane Date Garden. With a storied past, this date garden offer an insightful glimpse into the art of date farming, a chance to taste rare varieties, and an opportunity to bring home delectable date-infused treats while basking in the rich agricultural heritage of the region.

[19]  In Baltimore, Maryland, Calvert School stands as an independent and non-sectarian lower and middle school. It was founded in 1896 by four affluent families who sought to provide their children with a traditional kindergarten education, enlisting the help of Fraulein Schurmann, a German teacher. Despite the passage of time, Calvert School remains devoted to upholding the values instilled by its founder. The inaugural class received their lessons in a small room above a corner.

[20] When Frank and his siblings went swimming, the air was so dry that when they got out of the pool – and it was still one hundred degrees – they were shivering because of the evaporation of the water. 

[21] In response to a deficiency of commissioned officers during World War II, the Navy V-12 program was established in 1943. Young men and women enrolled in colleges were groomed for leadership positions in the Navy reserves. Hallowed halls of academia became boot camps, where students were drilled in both academic subjects and military tactics.

[22] In Monmouth County, New Jersey, Asbury Park flourishes as a seaside town known for its creative community, diverse inhabitants, and popular boardwalk that hugs the Atlantic coast. Its roots as a beloved beach getaway can be traced back to the 1800s.

[23] In June 1940, the U.S. Navy Reserve Pre-Midshipmen's School was established to train 36,000 Naval Reserve officers for leadership roles during World War II. Multiple schools were set up on college campuses, where candidates underwent a thirty-day course before entering the four-month V-7 Navy College Training Program. After completion, they were commissioned in the U.S. Naval Reserve and served in the Pacific Theater during the war.

[24] In Mid-Atlantic is Maryland's seat of power – Annapolis. Atop the confluence of Severn River and Chesapeake Bay, this city honors its legacy of institutions including the U.S. Naval Academy. In a time long gone by, Annapolis held the title of temporary capital for the nation during the tumultuous late eighteenth century.

 

[25] Hicks graduated from University of Minnesota in 1944 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During WWII, he served as an Engineering Officer in the North Atlantic. He started his career at General Electric, and later worked for companies like Kentucky Fried Chicken and Smirnoff. Known for his infectious personality and compassion, he passed away at ninety-three in 2017.

[26] The USS Barney (DD149) was a destroyer serving in the U.S. Navy from 1962 until its retirement in 1990. It belonged to the Charles F. Adams class of guided missile destroyers and was aptly named after the legendary Commodore Joshua Barney, a celebrated hero of the American Revolution.

[27]  In the city of Bayonne is a robust shipyard named Bayonne Drydock. With its size and range of services, it caters to all types of vessels – from tugboats to ocean behemoths. Originally erected as a Naval Drydock during World War II, it was later taken over by the Army in 1967. For decades, it served as the Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne (MOTBY), until it was rebranded as the Bayonne Drydock in 1997.

[28] The Pacific War from 1941 to 1945 was a critical battleground of World War II, with fierce naval battles, amphibious assaults, and aerial combat. The Allies (led by the U.S.) fought against Japan (part of the Axis Powers) in a series of brutal confrontations across the vast Pacific Ocean. Despite harsh conditions, the Allied forces emerged victorious, leading to Japan's surrender and ultimately ending the war.

[29] The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway measuring fifty-one miles between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean in Panama. It serves as a vital shortcut for international trade, significantly reducing travel time and avoiding treacherous routes around South America's tip. Its construction was an ambitious engineering feat.

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