Franklin C. Ellis Jr. ’54

Fra died Sept. 17, 2023.

He prepared for Princeton at Culver Military Academy, where he participated in swimming and publications. A music major, he wrote his senior thesis on Stravinsky, sang in the Chapel Choir, and participated in 150-pound crew. His father, Franklin C. Ellis, was a member of the Class of 1923.

After two years as a first lieutenant in the Army, he earned a master’s degree in music at Northwestern, taught music for two years at Trinity-Pawling School, and having realized that his quest for harmony extended to the whole environment, earned a master of science degree in city planning at the University of Illinois.

He married Sandra Townsend in 1967 and they moved to Puerto Rico, where he engaged in city planning for two years. Then he embarked on a 20-year career in teaching and composing at the Cate School in Carpenteria, Calif., where he directed plays, conducted the choir, played the organ and piano, taught music theory, wrote songs, and dreamed of writing a Broadway-style musical.

An energetic lover of nature and an ardent advocate for environmental justice, he enjoyed skiing, ice skating, horseback riding, bike riding, sailing, swimming, canoeing, windsurfing, and walking, both in California and at their family retreat in Canada.

Fra is survived by his wife of 56 years, Sandra; daughters Rebecca, Amy, Terri, and Jeannie; seven grandchildren; and his younger brother Gary.