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A Requiem 

4/8/2017

20 Comments

 
Picture
California on fire. Photo by Matthew Frank.

​I never met him.  
 
I also never had the chance to call or text him, and come to think of it, I also didn’t know anyone who was friends
with him.
 
As a matter of fact, like pretty much everyone else who assumed he’d always be here for us, I didn’t even
know his name. 
 
That was how he wanted it.
 
Yet for me and tens of thousands of other folks around here, his impact was immense.  In fact, in just a few short years, he became a social media phenomenon: out of our San Luis Obispo County coastal community here in California, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco and totaling about 250,000 people, he had close to 55,000 Facebook Friends.
 
For us, he was known only as the SLOStringer. 
 
(In journalism parlance, a stringer is an old-timey word for a freelance writer or photographer who contributes reports and photos to news organizations on a regular basis.)
 
Using this pseudonym, and not unlike today’s tornado chasers of the Midwest, he traveled our entire County and sometimes headed to adjacent ones—well over 3,000 square miles—always on his own dime, informing the public of car accidents, fires and other disasters.  Indeed, he was often the first (sometimes, only) reporter on a breaking story, but made a point to never get in the way of first responders.  For this, he earned a great deal of respect from that side of the aisle as well.
 
And something else: almost always, his stories were accompanied by extraordinary videos and photos that were so good, they would have been right at home in the pages of National Geographic magazine. 
 
It was a need that needed filling, because while this is a wondrous place to live, it is also not a place where there
are 24/7 news and traffic reports. 
 
He informed me twice in this way. 
 
A few years back, he responded to a Facebook message about a child care center surrounded by a SWAT team,
which was also on a major street that is part of my husband’s drive home.  The event wasn’t covered by any news outlet, but he knew all about it, writing me back that a homeless man had wandered inside the center, but that all had
ended peacefully. 
 
The other incident was a gnarly traffic accident about a mile or so from my house a few weeks back.  There were lots of sirens; bright lights, and emergency vehicles, but since the incident happened at around nine p.m., I couldn’t find any news reports.  But once again via Facebook, he got back to me the next morning, giving me details and assuring me that although it had been a head-on collision, there were no serious injuries.  
 
Then, in a curious twist of karma, his own life ended a couple of days later, in a fiery nighttime crash.

On a cold rainy highway on Tuesday, March 21, at around four a.m., he was on his way to cover a house fire about 20 minutes away.  For still-unknown reasons, his 2009 Chevy Tahoe veered off to the right shoulder of the road, then careened down a grassy embankment toward a tree.  The car then rolled over, its top crashing into the tree.  Landing hard on its tires, the vehicle immediately caught fire. 
 
The SLOStringer was pronounced dead on the scene.
 
The first article on the crash, which I read with bated breath a few hours later, simply reported the accident, with a photo of the mangled car.  It’s a busy highway, and one that The Teenage Daughter drives on a few days a week, so I did a mighty exhale when I saw that the vehicle was not hers. The next report, only moments later, stated that the car and the license number matched those belonging to the SLOStringer.  The third article, reported soon after, affirmed that the SLOStringer was the lone fatality.
 
Out loud, sitting at my laptop, I said, “Oh, NOOOO!”   
 
It was only then that I learned his name.  
 
He was Matthew Frank, 30 years old and a home grown boy, a graduate of the 2005 class of San Luis Obispo High School. At the time of his death, he was taking business classes at Cuesta College, the awesome community college that my daughter also attends. To close friends, he was a quiet young man who loved tinkering with motorcycles; in fact, it turns out that he owned a bike repair shop right in San Luis Obispo.    
 
Those who just knew Frank by his public persona also now discovered that he was the person who painted over some nasty graffiti on a railroad bridge two years ago. 
 
Because the bridge is owned by Union Pacific, the city didn’t have the authority to cover the four-letter word that faced traffic.  So, Frank simply got some gray paint and took matters into his own hands.  And since he was allowed access, his fans now learned that he had also helped feed and comfort the pets of many families who had been forced to evacuate their homes during the Chimney Fire, a horrific inferno that lasted for weeks last summer.
 
There were other acts of kindness toward the firefighters he loved.
 
One fire chief recalled his crews fighting a nighttime blaze for hours.  Everyone, said this chief, was completely spent when they returned to their station.  As they were wearily rolling hoses and getting ready for the next call, Frank showed up with breakfast burritos.       
 
Like my baby girl is to me, Matthew Frank was also an only child. 
 
As most Girl Clown Dancing readers know, I lost her first father to suicide.  I might have taken my own life soon after if I hadn’t had a small child who needed me.  But if my daughter were to pass before me, it would absolutely bring me to my knees.  I’d get up, but it would take a good long while.  I also know, with absolute certainty, that the hole in my heart would be utterly irreparable.  
 
Yet, as Matthew Frank’s mother Jacquelyn said, “He loved the community service he did, and he died doing what
​he loved.”
 
This affection was returned in spades at Frank’s memorial, attended by hundreds of people and dozens of fire engines and tow trucks parked outside the venue.  The church service also included a firefighters’  “last alarm” bell-ringing ceremony, and a flyover by the County Sheriff’s Aero Squadron—a group that Frank hoped to join one day.
 
Perhaps one firefighter said it best.  
 
“I’m a little nervous now,” he said, “because God has got one hell of a cameraman.”
 
Sleep well, Matthew Frank. 
Picture
Matthew Frank, aka SLOStringer.
20 Comments
Larry Grant
4/8/2017 05:02:13 pm

A beautiful tribute to a fallen hero. He is missed!

Reply
Hilary Grant
4/8/2017 07:23:16 pm

This post just sort of poured out of me; I guess you can tell. And yes, **so** very missed.

Reply
Vita
4/8/2017 05:07:39 pm

I also contacted him the evening of the two car collision in LO. He got back to me within a couple hours. I know his parents are devastated and I feel their pain. I also lost a son who was 30 years old at the time. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. Love and peace to his family; we all appreciated SLO Stringer's efforts and he will not be forgotten.

Reply
Hilary
4/8/2017 07:21:03 pm

I imagine the pain will always be there for his parents. I am sorry to hear of your loss as well, Vita. And no, he will NOT be forgotten.

Reply
Karen
4/8/2017 05:13:38 pm

Damn, you have me crying again for someone I never met, but hoped would be there for a very long time. Each traffic accident or fire since his departure, has hurt my heart thinking about how I would normally look for SLOStringer on FB. Thanks for the tribute. Very well done.

Reply
Hilary Grant
4/8/2017 07:29:51 pm

I feel exactly the same way. And really, I can't imagine anyone replacing what SLOStringer did--the knowledge, the compassion, the citizenshipm all in one ball of wax--that combination is unique.

Reply
Kerri
4/8/2017 06:39:54 pm

So sad.

Reply
Hilary
4/8/2017 07:18:38 pm

YUP. He was all over social media, doing the good he did, and now, he's... just... not.

Reply
Jerry Lazar
4/8/2017 06:59:56 pm

Heartbreaking! ...Gratifying to know there are true angels among us, anonymously and unselfishly improving our lives… Painful to learn their ranks have thinned by the loss of this altruistic young man… Condolences to his family… RIP Matthew Frank... May his life's work be an inspiration, and may his memory be a blessing…

Reply
Hilary
4/8/2017 07:17:04 pm

I am hoping that there is some journalism organization, or press club, that can honor him in some way. If you have any ideas, let me know. He is sooooo missed in our County!

Reply
Kari Schultz
4/8/2017 07:40:28 pm

Beautiful tribute. Glad to hear more of the back story on the SLOStringer. Thank you.

Reply
Hilary
4/8/2017 08:15:17 pm

I was fascinated by his story-behind-the-story as well. Just an all-around Good Guy.

Reply
Loree
4/8/2017 07:47:47 pm

Every time I hear a siren I think of him. It takes me a few seconds to remember he's gone. He put our local news avenues to shame. He was unbiased and shared the event with no hidden agendas. Every person I know that worked an emergency situation with him has said he was respectful and mindful of their space and presence. God must have needed one hell of a first responder/reporter because he called him home too soon. May the Frank family be comforted by the impact their son had on our community and on those of us that appreciated him. Rest easy Matthew.

Reply
Hilary
4/8/2017 08:20:08 pm

I knew that you would know people who knew him. The stories of his professionalism, and kindness, and respect... you know that we haven't heard all of them, because he was the kind of person who didn't want anyone to know all of the good he was doing for our community. And I agree with you about why he was called home too soon!

Reply
Terri Blair-Nighswonger
4/8/2017 08:36:34 pm

Much appreciation for this article​ and for sharing it with us!

Reply
Hilary Grant
4/8/2017 08:50:36 pm

Oh, *thank you* so much! I was compelled to write it.

Reply
leslie spoon
4/10/2017 08:12:09 am

Hilary My heart breaks for his family. What a special young man and a very kind soul. I am glad that you wrote about him.

Reply
Hilary
4/10/2017 04:25:06 pm

Oh, I'm glad I wrote about him, too, so the bigger blogosphere, past SLO County, can know a little more about him. I don't know if his parents will come across the blog, but if they do, I hope they'll be happy that I was able to share his big heart with the world. : )

Reply
Steven Frank
7/4/2018 07:23:40 am

Hilary, thank you for the wonderful tribute to my son. It is insanely, completely accurate in every way. Although Matthew never wanted to be the center of attention he would have marveled at your accuracy.p

Reply
Hilary A Grant
7/4/2018 09:01:15 am

THANK YOU! :)

Reply

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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