“He laughed easily and listened patiently” by Paula Locklair
Students from Hollins College attending the MESDA January Short Term.
Clay McClinton Clay (standing left), Townley McElhiney, Tracy Dunham, and Paula Welshimer Locklair (standing, right)
1972
I first met Frank Horton when I spent January Term 1972 of my Hollins College senior year at Old Salem and MESDA. Carolyn Weekly, then Curator of MESDA, bravely took on five of us. As a result of that intensive and wonderful month here, I was offered a job for the summer after graduation. With the exception of one school year in the MA graduate program at Oberlin College, I have been here ever since. Frank hired me. He was my true mentor and became a wise friend. It is not a cliché that he was the epitome of a gentleman and a scholar. There are many adjectives to describe Frank: considerate, focused, gentle, forthright, determined, clever, generous, visionary, curious, logical, kind, fun-loving. He laughed easily and listened patiently. I still miss him.
Paula Locklair, North Carolina
Vice President, Education
Old Salem Museums & Gardens
