Franklin Thomas Hartman

Franklin Thomas Hartman, 53, long time resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico passed away suddenly on July 29, 2010 while on business in Los Angeles, CA. Frank was born to Joel and Sara Weirich Hartman on December 24th, 1956 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. He was the second of five children. Frank came to Las Cruces in 1976, with fellow University of Missouri Columbia music students and newly-appointed NMSU band director Tim Lautzenheiser. Frank was a gifted percussionist and a member of the marimba quintet, Percussive Design Quorum (PDQ), various bands and ensembles at NMSU, the Las Cruces Civic Symphony, and the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. While at NMSU he met Nancy Burr, a fellow music student. They were married on December 29, 1984. A son, Isaac, was born in 1993, and a daughter Lara Zel, was born in 1994. Frank was very involved in the community. Whenever there was a need, Frank would step up to fill it. At various times he was a soccer and softball coach. He and Nancy were charter members of the Mesilla Valley Concert Band where Frank served as the percussion section leader. A believer in personal responsibility and "the show must go on", Frank once performed a rapid xylophone solo with his mallet wedged in his cast after having broken his arm playing softball the night before. Realizing that dyslexic students in our community face tremendous challenges in obtaining effective therapy in the basic skills of reading and math, Frank accepted a position as a charter member of the Board of Directors of the Dyslexia Institute of Southern New Mexico, Inc. Under his capable leadership as president of the board, the organization obtained registration as a charity in the State of New Mexico, enabling it to provide scholarship assistance to individuals of all ages. A leader for 20 years at the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ in Las Cruces, Frank served on the board in numerous capacities, taught children's Sunday school, and led the adult study group. He always welcomed open and educated discussions of any topic. In addition to his degree in music, Frank completed degrees in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering at NMSU as advised by his friend and mentor Don Paterson. He began his 25-year career in Space Communications as a student with Spacecom at the NASA Johnson Space Flight Center and continued employment with Contel, GTE, and General Dynamics. Most recently, he was Chief Engineer with the General Dynamics CD4S team. In times of complexities and frustrations, his coworkers would say, "WWFD