Luanne Thornton Frank

Luanne was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on December 27, 1932, to Mabel Matthews Thornton and King Nobel Thornton. She earned her BA in English at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1955, an MA in Library Science at Emory University in 1959, another MA in Comparative Literature in 1963, and finally a PhD in German Language and Literature at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 1969. She dedicated her life to learning and teaching, joining the English Department at the University of Texas at Arlington as an assistant professor in 1969 and specializing in literary theory, rhetoric, and philosophy.

Luanne was an internationally acclaimed scholar who worked at the intersections of literature and philosophy, producing notable work on such thinkers as Martin Heidegger, Jacques Lacan, Sigmund Freud, Johann Gottfried Herder, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Throughout her tenure at UTA, Luanne was recognized for her exceptionally rewarding courses on the most consequential thinkers of the 20th century. Her commitment to academic excellence inspired many to pursue advanced studies in rhetorical theory, and philosophy, and indeed her legacy continues through the work of many of her former graduate students who benefited immensely from her teaching and research. She stood out among the UTA faculty for her collaborative and international research, as well as her singular and inspirational approaches to teaching. Her students have become renowned scholars in their own rights, thanks in large part to her mentorship and abundant feedback on their writing and thinking.

Among those fortunate enough to have studied with her, she will be remembered for her meticulous scholarship and critical insights; her passion for teaching and dedication to her students; the practically impossible one-page papers she assigned (still lovingly referred to as “Luanne papers”); and the inexhaustible energy and generosity with which she offered the guidance, feedback, and mentorship students needed to succeed. There was no one like her in the classroom, and for the generations of scholar-teachers she trained, she is the model to be emulated. Indeed, “Luanne papers” are now routinely taught around the country not only by her students but by her students’ students.

Beyond academic pursuits, Dr. Frank was an avid supporter of the arts, as well, and a dedicated mentor to younger scholars. She traveled extensively to India, Europe, and Mexico. Many of those trips served as backdrops to her research pursuits in literary theory and criticism, hermeneutics, semiotics, and comparative world literature. Her collections of Mexican folk art and paintings, as well as artifacts from India, were among her most prized possessions.

Luanne married Ted Earl Frank prior to arrival at UTA in 1970. He was in the language department at UTA until he passed.

She is survived by her sister, Sandra Norton (Carl Norton), and her nieces, Jennie Perry-Raymond (Jon Raymond) and Adele Bodden (Matt Bodden). As well as her grand-niece and nephew Brek Perry (Kelly Perry), and Danielle Roberts (Duston Roberts). And 3 little great-grand-niece and nephews who she enjoyed watching grow in photos, Evelyn & Beau Perry, and Oliver Roberts.

Luanne was adventurous and fearless; her inexhaustible intellectual curiosity led her all around the world. She had extraordinarily high standards, and she’d let you know when you weren’t living up to them. She loved her life: her work, her family, her students, and her travels. She was brilliant, determined, demanding, disarmingly open-hearted, wickedly witty, and thrifty. Her laughter, wit, and exuberance with family was infectious. She was one of a kind, and she will be profoundly missed by those lucky enough to have loved her and learned from her.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.moorebowenroad.com for the Frank family.