Ancestors of Frank E. Masland IV

General Notes: Frank E. Masland III, born Aug. 21, 1921, in the family home on ConwayStreet in Carlisle, died Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011, in Carlisle. He wasa son of the late Frank E. Masland Jr. and Virginia Sharp Masland.

Throughout his life, he was known to most as "Mike," a nickname givenhim by his uncle at birth mostly due to the fact that two other"Franks," his father and grandfather, were quite enough. The familymoved to "Fallen Arches" farm in South Middleton Township when Mikeand his younger brother, David, were in their early years. The farmwas so named because the roof of the home had fallen into the basementand the young boys and their parents slept in the straw mound in thebarn while the home was being repaired.

That was the start of Mike's love for the country life, which he andhis brother fervently shared. Hunting, fishing, camping and farm workfilled their days. While in grade school, the two brothers often sleptoutdoors on the back porch of the farm year-round. They would risewell before daybreak to go out and check their skunk traps, whichprovided a small but thriving pelt business for their allowances.

Mike attended Carlisle High School and graduated in the class of 1939.While in school, he loved sports such as football and baseball and wasactive in school plays. His participation in theater prepared him wellfor his career in business, in which he was called upon regularly tospeak before large audiences. He was often known as "the life of theparty."

After graduating from Carlisle High, he spent a year at The PeddieSchool in Hightstown, N.J., to prepare him for entry into the class of'44 at Princeton University. At Princeton he was active in sports. Heswam for the varsity swimming team and was known for his speed in thefreestyle. His love of swimming was lifelong, as he spent many hoursin the pool at his father's home and later his own. He was also afrequent lap swimmer at the YMCA pool, which he helped finance, aswell as the Carlisle Industrial Pool.

While Mike was at Princeton, he enrolled in the Army ROTC program andwas eager to serve his country in World War II. At Princeton he alsomet his sweetheart, Marie Perry, from Washington, Conn., on a blinddate on March 6, 1943. They fell in love, announced their engagementApril 17 and were married a month later on May 22, 1943. Mike andMarie were happily married for almost 61 years until her death in2004.

Mike graduated from Princeton on May 29, 1943, only seven days afterhis wedding and a year early due to the war. His degree in economicsprepared him for his eventual entry into the family business.

Because of World War II, Marie and Mike's first year of marriage wasanything but conventional. During that year they found themselvessleeping in 37 different places as the military moved them around.Mike attended Officer's Candidate School at Fort Sill in Oklahoma andthen moved with his young bride to Fort Bragg, N.C. From there theysoon moved to Fort Benning, Ga., back to Fort Sill, back to FortBenning, then to Fort Knox, Ky. Eventually, in the fall of 1944, Mikewas transferred to Camp Barkley in Abilene, Texas, with the 12thArmored Division. From there, he was dispatched to Europe to join thewar. Marie moved back to Carlisle to live with Mike's parents at"Fallen Arches" in a small home on the farm built specially for her,christened "Chez Marie."

During World War II, as a lieutenant in the Field Artillery, Mike wentoverseas in October 1944, serving with the 12th Armored Division underGen. Patton. Shortly after arrival, he was asked if he had ever beenin a tank, to which he replied, "No." His commanding officer pointedto a Sherman tank similar to the one on display at AHEC just besideInterstate 81. The officer said, "That one is yours." His job was tobe a forward observer to catch sight of the location of enemy lines, adangerous task indeed. He fought throughout the Rhineland,Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe. On one occasion, he was blown outof his tank when it was hit by German fire. He was not wounded, buthis driver was killed. Stunned, Mike was soon picked up by troops inan open Jeep to take him back to the military hospital. As they spedthrough the town of Speyer, they spotted a Nazi convoy approaching,and a rapid U-turn was in order. Unfortunately he was thrown from theopen vehicle to the ground as the Jeep sped away. He found his way toa farmhouse and was fortunately greeted by an older French couple whowere not Nazi sympathizers. Later, after the Nazis left town, he waspicked up and taken to camp. For his service he was awarded the BronzeStar.

After the conflict subsided he served in the occupation of Germany andwas subsequently sent to Greece in March 1946 as a member of AMFOGE(Allied Mission For Observing Greek Elections) composed of 100British, 100 American, and 50 French officers.

He came home in June 1946, rejoined Marie and moved to Boston, livingin a fifth-floor apartment while he attended Harvard Business School.After receiving his MBA, he joined the firm of C.H. Masland & Sons,Rugs & Carpets in March 1948. Throughout his career he held severalkey positions.

Mike worked at and led C. H. Masland & Sons until 1986, when thecompany was purchased by Burlington Industries. During his tenure heserved as vice president, president, chief executive officer andchairman of the board of trustees. He helped shepherd the company froma predominately family-run business to a multi-national corporation.He was instrumental in going public with the company when it waslisted on the American Stock Exchange. He also helped develop theautomobile mat division into the largest supplier of automobile carpetin the United States.

For all of his accomplishments at the company, he remained a regularguy in many ways. He bowled on the company bowling team and played inthe softball league and was never absent from a clambake or HersheyPark outing. To his fellow workers and his secretary of many years,Betty Mullen, he was just "Mike."

While his primary focus was the carpet business, over the years he hadnumerous opportunities to participate in industry and civic ventures.He was director and president of the Carpet and Rug Institute,director and chairman of the American Carpet Institute, director ofMasland Duraleather Company, director of Galaxy Carpet Company andserved on the board of The National Association of Manufacturers.

Outside the carpet industry, he was on the boards of many othercompanies and organizations, such as Dauphin Deposit Bank, HarscoCorporation and Grove City College, to name just a few.

His great passion outside of the business world was the YMCA, which hesupported for many years along with Marie. His "Y" work includedchairman of the Carlisle YMCA, chairman of the South Central YMCA,chairman of the Pennsylvania State YMCA, president of the NationalCouncil of the YMCA, trustee of the National YMCA Board, National YMCARetirement Committee, and delegate to four World Council meetings inthe following locations: Geneva, Switzerland; Nottingham, England; Riode Janiero, Brazil; and Tuzanzo, Japan.

He also was devoted to the United Way and served in a range ofphilanthropic causes, aiding the Carlisle Hospital and otherinstitutions.

He was a devoted member of the Carlisle Rotary for more than sixdecades and was honored for 60 years of service.

He was a man of many and varied interests. He owned and operated asingle-engine plane for several years, which he kept at the Carlisleairport. He was an avid golfer and participated in manyindustry-sponsored tournaments over his career, where he got to playwith many pros and celebrities. One of his favorites was the time heplayed with Mickey Mantle and his rounds with Chi-Chi Rodriguez. Heasked Chi-Chi, "What is the hardest shot in golf?" Chi-Chi replied, "A4-foot putt with 50,000 people watching and $50,000 riding on it."Mike loved to tell that story.

Mike and Marie traveled extensively, covering all the continentsexcept Africa and Antarctica. At heart, however, he was a "countryboy" who loved the farm in South Middleton on which he was raised andwhere he built his home, known as "Pizen Patch." He was often seenriding into Carlisle in his Lincoln with his beloved large Mastiff,Babe, at his side. In later years he delighted in making balloonanimals for every child he would see, a skill he attributed to thelung power he built up while swimming at Princeton.

He is survived by his brother, David S. Masland, of Carlisle. He hadthree children, a daughter, Ellen Colcord Masland, who died in 2000; ason, Frank Masland IV, who lives in Carlisle; and a son, JonathanMasland, who lives in Lafayette, Calif.

He is survived by 10 grandchildren, Nick Anderson, Ingrid Clark,Michael Masland, Charlotte Masland, Christopher Masland, CatherineMasland, Elizabeth Masland, Dexter Masland, Tracy Masland and TrevorMasland.

Frank married Marie Perry ¹ ^,2 on 22 May 1944 in St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, Conn.² Marie was born on 12 Jul 1922 in Great Barrington, MA^{¹^,2} and died on 16 May 2004 in Carlisle, PA at age 81.

i. Ellen Colcord Masland ¹ ^,2 was born on 31 Mar 1948 in Carlisle, PA^{¹^,2} and died on 31 Jan 2000 in Alaska Air plane crash^{¹^,2} at age 51.

iii. Jonathan Lambert Masland ¹ ^,2 was born on 3 Jan 1953 in Carlisle, PA.^{¹^,2}

General Notes: Born in Great Barrington, MA but moved at 2 months old to Washington,Connecticut, as her father became a master at The Gunnery School forboys. Marie attended Spring Hill School in Litchfield from grades fourto seven, went to Wykeham Rise in Washington where she was Head ofSchool, graduating in 1939. She then attended Smith College inNorthampton, MA, majoring in economics. After briefly becoming engagedshe left Smith and relocated to New York City where she attendedKatherine Gibbs secretarial college. On March 6, 1943 she met herfuture husband at Princeton University; their engagement wasannounced on April 17th and they were married on May 22, 1943 at thesmall St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington where her fatherserved for many years.
Due to the raging World War II, Marie and Mike's first year ofmarriage was anything but conventional. She first lived at the NassauInn in Princeton until Mike graduated, already a member of themilitary. During that year they found themselves sleeping in 37different places as the military conditions moved them around. Afterspending several months at the home of Mike's parents in Carlislewhile he was attending Officer's Candidate School at Fort Sill inOklahoma, she finally joined her husband at Fort Bragg, NorthCarolina. They moved from there to Fort Benning, Georgia, back to FortSill, back to Fort Benning, then to Fort Knox, Kentucky. Eventually inthe fall of 1944 Mike was transferred to Camp Barkley in Abilene Texaswith the 12th armored division where he was dispatched to Europe tojoin the war.
Marie returned to Carlisle where she joined the war effort working asa secretary and assistant in the USO until her husband returned fromthe war in June of 1946. For the next two years she and Mike lived inBoston as he was attending Harvard Business School until March of1948. Pregnant with their first child, Ellen, Marie and Mike returnedto Carlisle to raise a family. Over the years as the wife of thePresident and Chairman of Masland Carpets, Marie was called upon manytimes to support him in his career. Often travelling with him andoften remaining behind to care for the family, she labored tirelessly.She entertained many business guests and hosted many parties at herhome, was an avid golfer and bridge player. She devoted her time tomany civic positions as well, serving on the boards of several localorganizations such as the Todd Home, Bosler Library, Wykeham Rise,YMCA, Red Cross and the Women's Society of the Methodist Church. Intheir later years Marie and Mike travelled extensively throughout theworld, often with the YMCA, to such places as Russia, China,Australia, and the Arctic. After over 50 years of marriage theycontinue to live in the house where they reared their children inCarlisle, though their health has been failing them.

Marie married Frank Elmer Masland III ¹ ^,2 on 22 May 1944 in St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, Conn.² Frank was born on 23 Aug 1921 in Carlisle, PA^{¹^,2} and died on 22 Jan 2011 in Carlisle, PA at age 89.

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Ancestors of Frank E. Masland IV

Second Generation