COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Bernard Frank had plenty of reasons to kick back and relax when he retired
almost 14 years ago.Hehad been second-in-command of a small fighting boat in the Pacificduring World War II;
he had earned a degree in industrial engineeringfrom Ohio State University; and he had taken over a jewelry
store fromhis father-in-law, brought it out of bankruptcy and turned it into asuccessful business for half a
century.But when heretired in 2000 at age 76, he decided he still had something to give. Heapplied to be a
substitute teacher in the Bexley City Schools."They said, ‘When do you want to start?’ I said,
‘Tomorrow,’" Frank said.Now,at age 89, he is a math tutor, putting to work his minor in math fromOhio
State. He figures he has worked with more than a hundred kids,mostly one-on-one. Sometimes he gets paid,
other times not, depending onthe parents’ situation."What Bernie brought to the table was hecould do it
on an as-needed basis and charged on kind of a floatingscale," with the bottom of the scale being free,
said Harley Williams,the principal of Bexley secondary schools.Frank said he alwaysgets paid: "I get
paid in the heart. When you’re paid in the heart, youdon’t spend the heart. When you get paid money, you
spend it."Frank will talk your ear off. And he has built up a lot of stories over 89 years.Hewas born
in 1924 in Youngstown to a dad who "really did very little; hehad jobs and made very little
money," and a mom "who was one of thosefirst ladies who went out into the world and became a
working mother" tohelp support them, he said.In 1942, he moved to Columbus toattend Ohio State. Back
then, "Anybody who wanted to go could go"because it cost very little, Frank said. "I was a
rich kid at Ohio Statewhose mother and father didn’t have any money, but I didn’t tellpeople."There
were no college deferments during World War II, andon his 18th birthday, after only three months of college,
"I decidedthat I wanted to join the Army and not be drafted," Frank said.Buthe soon realized that
by the time basic training was over, he’d be ripefor the invasion of Europe that everyone knew was coming.
So he wentback to the enlistment office and said he needed to join the Navy,because his dad and grandfather
had been in the Navy (which was true)and "They were having fits" that he had joined the Army
(which wasn’ttrue).The Navy was happy to have him and, because of his collegeexperience, sent him into the
officers’ program. Eventually, he foundhimself in the Philippines, second-in-command of a fighting boat,
theUSS APc-8, which looked like an armed tugboat.His scariest momentcame when the boat hit a reef in the
Sulu Sea and looked like it wasgoing down, with no one around to help. Frank put on three life
jacketsthinking that was better than one. But they got the boat free and limpedto safety.After the war,
Frank returned to Ohio State and gothis degree. He married and took over Lynn’s Jewelers at 171 S. High
St.from his father-in-law.There were a few missteps, such as whenFrank accidentally dropped a bag containing
$25,000 in diamond rings —more than $49,000 in today’s dollars — in 1989 near Town and Highstreets. A man
found the bag and returned it.After closing thestore in 2000, Frank went to Columbus State Community College
to brushup his math skills, got a teaching certificate and became a substituteteacher.Frank goes beyond just
being a tutor, said Williams, ofBexley schools. "As much as he’s done with the students in math,
I’vealso been as pleased with just the intergenerational experience he’sbeen able to provide our
students."Eighth-grader Nicole Beckman,13, said she "was in a little bit of a rut these past few
months" withher math, "and then, just recently, I started getting better when Istarted working
with Bernie.""He helped me realize that some answers don’t make sense and you have to go over
everything and make sure that it’s right."Hannah Dolen, 14, also in the eighth grade, said lots of
stories get mixed in with the math work.What about? "Everything. His whole life," Hannah
said.Frank and his wife, Nancy Ann Frank, had three children. His wife died 1 1/2 years ago after 62 years
of marriage."I cry for her quite often," he said.Hetutors about two days a week now. He’d like to
see more retired peopletutor and plans to continue for at least 10 more years."Until I’m 99," he
said. "If I get there and I want to go longer, I will."Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All
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