Remembering Seth Frankel: Editor’s Note

Like a lot of people involved with the city of Kent, I’m trying to make sense of the senseless.

Seth Frankel, the city’s video-program coordinator, is no longer with us, and it’s so difficult to wrap my head around the reasons why.

As outlined in news reports (including ours), Frankel, 41, was found deceased at his Auburn home May 22, and his death is being investigated as a homicide.

As of press time Tuesday, details were few. And none shed light on how a person like Frankel could have experienced such an ending.

I had the privilege of working with Frankel on several occasions in his job with the city. I’d like to describe to you the person I got to know.

A couple of years ago, the City of Kent had just embarked on a new community program called Kent 4 Health. They were looking for volunteers and I wound up serving on a committee to help get the publicity machine rolling. One of the first people I met was this deceptively young-looking guy with messy hair, a big smile and lots of enthusiasm.

It was Frankel. And it seemed as if he had an idea about everything. Right down to putting what I think were some of his own recipes on the Web site we were helping put together. I had the distinct impression Frankel was like this all the time – he never got grumpy or frustrated about having to wait his turn to weigh in on an idea. And he always showed up, ready to go, in work shirt and jeans, as if any moment he’d need to run out somewhere with his video camera. That’s probably because he often did.

I don’t remember much about those meetings, but I sure do remember Frankel.

The next time I met Frankel, I really needed his expertise, and he gave it, in spades.

I was organizing a candidates’ debate last November at the Kent Senior Activity Center and I wanted it to be videotaped. Someone had the bright idea of seeing what the city could do for us, with their television network.

I put in one phone call, and in no time at all, I was dealing with Frankel. And true to his nature, boy, was he enthused about the idea.

We had a couple of meetings at the center to figure out where the podiums should go, and where the lights should be on our lineup of nervous candidates. Frankel was full of good suggestions and he was never pushy about it.

On the day of the debate, my nerves were frayed, to say the least. I had no idea such a simple thing could be so complicated, or present so many opportunities for disaster. I got into the senior center early to start setting up, my stomach in knots about all the things that could go wrong.

Frankel showed up a short time later. And unlike me, he seemed positively in his element – he was pumped. I’m sure that was partly because he was in his element. He was a consummate pro at this kind of thing.

But even if it had been something he didn’t know how to do, I think Frankel would have been enthused about it anyway, as an opportunity to learn something new. He liked the world. And the world, it seemed, liked Frankel back.

We’re going to learn some things in the days and weeks ahead that will be hard to understand about the ending of a life.

Put things in their proper place, when you hear these things. For all their sensationalism, they are extraneous details – the kind of stuff media outlets like ours are mandated to put in print and on the Internet.

Don’t let the last few minutes of a life ended before its time dictate to you what the previous 41 years were all about.

Keep the living years close to your heart, because that is the irrepressible, real person you need to remember.