Obituary of Franklin Eades Penn

Franklin Eades Penn, 93, known to all as "Frank", died from cancer at home on December 15, 2012. He was a resident of Darien, Connecticut for fifty years. He was born in Baguio, Luzon, the unincorporated territory of the Philippines on May 21, 1919 to William Lee and Olivia Eades Penn. He attended Manila Central School and visited relatives in Kentucky three times before finally leaving the Philippines to become a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936. A member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, he finished his time at MIT in 1941 with a B.S. and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, where he was a member of the Mechanical Engineering Honors Group. Following graduation, he joined Dupont and during World War II was part of the Cambridge, Massachusetts based National Research Corporation where he helped perfect the high vacuum technology used in the mass production of penicillin and blood plasma for the war effort. In April, 1946, Penn moved to Plymouth, Florida, joined the design team, and, ultimately, became Chief Engineer at the first Minute Maid plant where the production of orange juice concentrate subsequently revolutionized the citrus industry in the USA and then Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. After moving to New York City in 1950 Penn met and, on September 27, 1952, married June Margaret Craver at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York. The couple relocated to Winter Park, Florida in time for the arrival their first child, a son, in 1954. The family moved north to Darien, Connecticut for the first time in 1956, which coincided with the birth of their first daughter. They returned to Florida again in 1958, toward the end of which time their second daughter was born. The family finally settled in their current home in Darien in 1962. Coca Cola acquired Minute Maid in 1961 where Penn was Vice President of the Minute Maid Division. In 1964, he joined National Bulk Carriers, Inc. a privately held company belonging to Daniel K. Ludwig. NBC operated a large fleet of bulk ocean carriers (oil, ore, coal, grain, etc.) As Assistant to the President, Penn was responsible for the management of NBC's agricultural projects which included oranges in Panama, paper pulp in Brazil, flowers in Honduras, vegetables in Belize and beef cattle in Venezuela. Penn joined Velcro Industries N.V. in 1972 as Vice President for Manufacturing. He then became President and Chief Executive Officer in 1973, directing the company as it grew from early stage developer of a newly patented technology to a global household name. Penn retired from the corporate world in 1981. Upon retirement, he began his second career in community service, starting in 1984 with three terms on the Darien Planning and Zoning. The last five of his twelve years there were as Chairman. Elected to the Darien Library Board of Trustees for two, three-year terms starting in 1996, he declared this to be the "Best volunteer job in Darien!" Penn joined the Senior Men's Association in 1990 and served as President for two years starting in 1995. Having become a member of the Darien Community Association in 1999, he became active as Building Manager in 2001 and oversaw the renovation of the gardens and greenhouse. He was named to the DCA Board of Trustees in 2002. Tennis was his sport and he indulged in it whenever he could. As a long time member of the Tokeneke Club and at King's Highway Tennis Club, he played tennis until he was 88. For the entertainment of all at family gatherings, he would often write poetry, and then, to much laughter and amusement, perform a bit of his doggerel. The deceased leaves behind his wife of sixty years, June Craver Penn of Darien, Connecticut; his children, W. Lee Penn II and his wife Linda Walker Penn of Madison, Connecticut, Maitland Jade Penn of Mount Desert Island, Maine and Lucia Lee Penn of Monkton, Maryland; his grandchildren, Zachary James Penn, Whitney Elizabeth Penn and Andrew Walker Penn, all residents of Madison, Connecticut; his nieces and nephews, Susan Shaw Palmer and her husband Frank Palmer of Keizer, Oregon, Thomas Eades Shaw, M.D. of Cleveland, Ohio, Priscilla Shaw McKinney of Lawrence, Kansas, Linda Shaw Davies of Ravenna, Ohio, Julia Penn Shaw of Troy, New York, Courtney Ann Shaw of Annapolis, Maryland, Darrel Thomas Shaw, Jr. of Hudson, Ohio, William Blair Shaw and his wife Ella Shaw of Hersey, Michigan and Douglas Lee Penn of Eugene, Oregon. He was predeceased by his sister Elizabeth Penn Shaw and his brother William Lee Penn Jr. A memorial service will be held at the Darien Community Association on Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. The deceased's ashes will be scattered at a later time at a private family service. The Edward Lawrence Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements and can be contacted for more information, directions or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.lawrencefuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Darien Library, 1441 Post Road, Darien, CT, 06820 or the Darien Community Association, 274 Middlesex Road, Darien CT 06820. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820