Born in Washington D.C. to Virginia King and William Frye, my maternal grandfather, Bernard, falsified his age by two years and enlisted in the Rainbow Division during WWI. He served overseas for 19 months in the 162nd Infantry, 42nd Division, Company A. In an interesting story, Bernard posed as a body double for Gen. John J. (Blackjack) Pershing in a famous portrait done by artist Arthur Cahill. Apparently, they were about the same size and Gen. Pershing only had time to sit long enough to have his face painted! He returned home and received his law degree from Georgetown University.
Bernard married Mildred Trussell Frye on 30 Jun 1925. In the love letters he wrote her before they were married, he referred to her as "my little girl". They moved to Akron, Ohio in 1931 and had three children- Nancy Ellen, Barbara Dabney and Bernard Campbell Jr. He was known to his children and grandchildren as "Poppa".
He worked as a patent and trademark attorney for Goodyear Tire for 3 years and then the firm Ely, Frye & Hamilton for the next 25 years. Bernard had a reputation as a terrific card player and one night "sold" the house during a poker game. Besides poker, also a lifemaster in duplicate and contract bridge and an avid bowler.
Bernard was a member of Knights of Columbus Council 547 & Fourth Degree Msgr; Joseph O'Keefe Assembly; Akron Bar Assoc; American Bar Assoc; American Patent Law Assoc and the Akron City Club. Past President of the Exchange Club and past Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge.
I was only two years old when Poppa died. So, although there are pictures of him holding me, sadly I do not remember him, except through the eyes of my grandmother. Gran often reminisced about how handsome he was and described him in terms nothing short of a knight in shining armor.