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Franda, Marcus Francis

August 16, 1937 –
 September 30, 2019

Obituary

Dr. Marcus Francis Franda (1937-2019) It is with profound love, respect and sorrow that we share with you today that our father, Marcus Francis Franda, passed away on September 30, 2019. He died peacefully, in no pain, and in the arms of his beloved wife, our mother, Vonetta Jane Franda (nee Pedlow). His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were physically and virtually beside him.    The following celebration of his life’s work will be familiar to those who knew our father well. For those who knew our father, but perhaps not the totality of his accomplishments, including some of his grandchildren, we hope this serves to deepen your understanding of this brilliant man. To those who are reading this but did not know our father well, it is our intent that this serve as a testament and perhaps inspiration to the power of education, passion, dedication, hard-work and love, in the making of a life well lived.    Our father was born on a farm in Nassauaupee Township in Wisconsin on the evening of August 16, 1937. He was the third child and only son of John Samuel Franda “Sam”, and Mary Esther Schailly. He was preceded by two sisters, Mary Jane (deceased) and Norabelle. His younger sister, Carole Jean, joined two years later. During his formative years, Marcus attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and Beloit Catholic High School in Beloit, Wisconsin. Growing up, Marc worked three jobs starting at age 11 and found a life-long interest in writing, baseball and music.    In 1956, our father was awarded a full scholarship to Beloit College. He was the first in his large extended family to attend college. It was here that our parents met, courted and later married. Marc graduated from Beloit College, Departments of Government and History, with a Bachelors of Arts, B.A. cum laude, in January 1959 (with Honors in Government).    Marc and Vonnie married on August 16, 1959 and together they moved to Chicago, where Marc would attend graduate school at the University of Chicago. This was the beginning of an illustrious career and a lifelong love story. As our father put it so well, “Courtship with Vonnie and our marriage launched me into an entirely new world, unlike any I had known before…..Settling down with Vonnie was peaceful, fun and well ordered…..With Vonnie, I found it easier to have dreams and plans for the future that could realistically be linked to expectations that they would be actualized. Most important among these dreams that I had often had about traveling the world and escaping from my insular family roots. Vonnie and the University of Chicago gave wings to those dreams.”    Dr. Marcus F. Franda’s career certainly soared upon his graduation from the University of Chicago with an A.M., from the Department of Political Science (1960) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)(1966)  and culminating in a lifetime achievement of having published 25 books, 78 scholarly reports and over 200 articles.    India and the sub-Indian Continent were the focus of Dr. Franda’s scholarly endeavors. After a two year research trip to India and Bengal as a Carnegie Foundation Teaching Fellow through the University of Chicago and the successful completion of his doctoral dissertation, he spent two years as a Research Associate at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During this time he finished his first book entitled “West Bengal and the Federalizing Process in India” (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1968).    Professor Franda took a teaching position at Colgate University (1965-1977), spending some of those years teaching at the campus in Hamilton, New York with the bulk of his time spent conducting research in Asia or Africa and lecturing around the United States as a Senior Associate for Asia with the American Universities Field Staff/Universities Field Staff International (headquartered at Dartmouth College) based in Asia (1971-1977).    Of the 78 Field Staff Reports Dr. Franda authored, he explained to us during his retirement years that he was most proud of 7 of those reports. The first was a three part series “India’s Double Emergency Democracy” (1975), a title he took from a name Indira Gandhi had given to the Emergecy. The second series he found great pride in was devoted to the Indian press during the Emergency (1978). Lastly, in 1977, he published “Slogans of the Indian Emergency”, which captured, in both words and images, the socio-political climate of the region at that time.   As his career continued, Dr. Franda was the Director of the Institute of World Affairs in Salisbury, Connecticut (founded by Maude Miner Hadden and Thomas J. Watson) from 1980-1983.    Dr. Franda was also the Head of the Asia Foundation Office in Bangkok, Thailand, as Representative for Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam from 1983-1986, before becoming the Head of the Asia Foundation office in Washington, D. C. (1986-1988). During this time in his career, he was awarded Officer of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand, appointed to him by his Magesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a title he was most honored to receive.   In 1998, Dr. Franda became the President of World College West in Marin County, California. The World College Movement was founded by Lord Mountbatten, Armand Hammer and Laurence Rockefeller.    The last decade of his sweeping career, Professor Franda taught at the University of Maryland, College Park as the Director of International Affairs.    In one of his final books, “Governing the Internet: The Emergence of an International Regime” (2001), Marc poignantly wrote a dedication to his cherished wife, our mother. “To Vonnie, an extraordinary lifetime companion, who made this and so much else possible”.   Marcus Francis Franda is survived by his wife of 60 years, Vonetta Jane Franda (nee Pedlow), as well as: Children: Charles Arthur Franda (Joyce Oehrlein) Stephanie Jane Hartley (nee Franda) Grandchildren: Emily Elise Zanco (nee Franda) “Emi” (Lincoln Zanco) Timothy Charles Franda “Timmy” (Erin Franda) Nicholas James Harrison Franda “Nikki” (Alexandra Tamayo) Andrew Emerson Hartley “Cookie” Laura Vonetta Hartley “LaLa” Grace Harper Hartley “Baby Grace” Great-Grandchildren: Caden Rae Hartley (Andrew) Niklaus Trinidad Franda (Nikki and Ale) Please leave the family condolences and share memories on this website.  

Arrangements under the direction of:

Aria Cremation Service and Funeral Home

19310 Preston Road

Dallas, Texas 75252

(214) 306-6700

    Bill Richter
    28 Nov 2020
    8:09pm

    We are saddened to learn, belatedly, of Marc’s death, and send our condolences to Vonnie and family. We have fond memories of the Franda family that go back roughly half a century, especially of conversations in New Delhi, but also of briefer encounters in California, Georgia, Texas, Costa Rica. Marc was a model scholar, a caring mentor, and a thoughtful friend.

    Sanyuzzaman Pavel
    28 Dec 2023
    6:39pm

    An email which will never reach Marc

    Dear Dr. Marcus Francis Franda

    I couldn’t hold my tears for moments that you will never be there to take a look to this mail.

    I was having a thought to write a mail to you after finishing your book ‘Bangladesh, the first decade’ published by South Asian Publishers Pvt. Ltd. at New Delhi in the year of 1982. A name search in Google doesn’t show first that you are physically no more among your family and friends since September 30, 2019. I know that God has been giving your family and friends the strength to bear with the pain and the vacuum created since then. My deep condolences to them, and all of my well wishes of course.

    I am writing to you from Bangladesh, at the age of 33 years. I came to know you in between 2020 to 2021 through the article ‘Communism and Regional Politics in East Pakistan’ you published in Asian Survey (Vol: 10, No: 7) just before the year of emergence of Bangladesh. At that time, I was pursuing my second MA in Sociology in an central public research university of India through one of her Government’s prestigious Fulbright scholarships. I just loved your article, sooner I came to know of the book mentioned above and desired to read but couldn’t find a copy anywhere as the book is out of print and became very rare. You know what, just hours back I managed to get a copy, a joy you know well what it is! In last couple of days, I also managed copies of some of the major works of Talukder Maniruzzaman, the political scientist from ‘Dacca University’ who and his wife Ms. Ruby were the ‘closest of personal friends’ of you as you mentioned in the short introduction of your book and who was your ‘principle mentor on Bangladesh through the years’ from 1963, your first research trip to Dhaka, to 1981. During this period of time you visited Bangladesh at least once a year with an exception for just two years and these research trips culminated in the book “Bangladesh, the first decade’. I am a great admirer of Talukder Maniruzzaman’s work, and having goosebumps that you payed your homage to him by recognizing him as your mentor! My respect towards you reached a new level. Your closest personal friend, one of the greatest political scientists this comparatively new nation has ever produced, has also left us forever just 90 days after you did so. Today, December 29, is the fourth death anniversary of your friend. It’s a great coincidence for me that in this day I managed copy of your book along with five other books by your mentor, your friend which also became very rare for decades. I am deeply honored and happy that, I am writing to you, talking about your friend to you in this day. It feels like a divine coincidence, and I am hoping that your eternal scholar souls are out there somewhere; discussing Bangladesh, South Asia, and the World with each other. I wish you friends are in heavenly peace and harmony.

    I am writing to you just after going through the introduction of your book ‘Bangladesh, the first decade’. It’s sure that I will agree with you on many points, as it’s sure that I will not do so in many points you made. This is the nature of the worlds of thoughts. Also I am enjoying the privilege of being couples of decades of your working time. However, your observation is still pertinent even after more than forty years since you made it that nothing has achieved in the line of people to feel strongly and emotionally that they are Bangladeshis, to be enthusiastic about building up the country, to be vigilant and resist militarily if necessary in the context of military pressure from outside, to have confidence that they can grow things themselves, do things themselves without relying on the foreigners, to have pride in their religion and at the same time to have no problems with minorities. At this moment of dawn, I am excited to know for sure that, you have many more to offer in the coming chapters of ‘Bangladesh, the first decade’!

    You dedicated the book to someone Charlie with an optimism that ‘whose generation may live to see the revitalization of Bangladesh’. I was wondering who was Charlie. Whoever it is, at this moment of dawn here in Bangladesh, I feel like I am Charlie whom you dedicated your work as I wish to see the revitalization of Bangladesh and be a part of that process.

    Your interest for Bangladesh began at the year of 1959 when you first started studying Bangla at the University of Chicago. For more than sixty years you made so many interested in the same subject and as students of Bangladesh studies so many became interested in you in reciprocity. I wish that this will continue for so many sixty years in future. Please consider me as a humble one of them who is deeply delighted in paying homage, though belatedly, to you for your contribution to the knowledge, nationhood, and the political theory of Bangladesh as an independent sovereign state of the world.

    Sincerely
    Sanyuzzaman Pavel
    ‘Dacca’, Bangladesh
    December 29, 2023

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