Frank C. Mahnke ’60 died on March 16, 2023, in Washington, DC.

(The following was provided by The Washington Post on May 5, 2023)

Frank C. Mahnke ’60

Frank Campbell Mahncke died peacefully on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at age 84. He leaves behind his wife of 58 years, Frances Wiltshire Mahncke, son, Henry Mahncke (grandchildren Jasper and Ivy); daughter, Elizabeth Stephenson (grandchildren Elle and Fiona) and sister; Christina Brown of Edgartown Martha’s Vineyard.

Frank grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and came to Washington, DC, after graduating from Bowdoin College with a degree in mathematics. In Washington, he worked for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) and then as a civilian engineer/scientist with the Naval Surface Warfare Center and the Naval Warfare Analysis Center. He earned a master’s degree in operations research, from American University, as well as a degree from The Naval War College in Newport, RI. After retirement, just for the fun of it, he earned a degree in military history from Norwich University in Northfield, VT.

At ACDA he traveled to Antarctica three times on inspections of Soviet and other research stations, and, in the US, observed planned destruction of nuclear and BW/CW weapons under onsite inspection treaties then being discussed with the Soviets. As a civilian employee of the Navy he was assigned as the science advisor to CINCLANTFLT in Norfolk, VA, where he led the conversion of several smaller Navy vessels for use in tracking drug smugglers and earned the Navy’s Superior Civilian Service Award.

Following his retirement in 2003, Frank earned a commercial driver’s license, then he and his wife tried out retired life on Martha’s Vineyard where Frank took a job driving a bus for the Martha Vineyard Bus Company and another working as a luggage handler at the airport assisting travelers arriving in private planes.

Following their return to Washington, he worked for the Institute for Defense Analysis until his final retirement in 2016.

In private life, at the age of 40, with Frances’ encouragement, Frank took flying lessons and became a private pilot, which he had wanted to do since he was a child.