Life and Career
Kurtz was born in Davenport, Iowa, the son of Dora Lee (née Fenton) and Frank Allen Kurtz, Sr., an insurance salesman. Kurtz became interested in flying at age 16, and in 1935 he flew an open cockpit plane, setting a speed flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City to Washington D.C. and back to Los Angeles.
Kurtz's swimming abilities impressed Olympic champion swimmer Johnny Weissmuller who encouraged him to train with famous diving coach Clyde Swendsen. Kurtz graduated at Hollywood High School and went on to the University of Southern California especially to join the diving team. Kurtz won a Bronze medal in 10 metre platform diving at the 1932 Summer Olympics and was ranked 5th in this event at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
He was Commander of the 463rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force, Celone Airfield, Foggia, Italy (1944–45), and survivor of an air attack at Clark Field in the Philippines 2 days after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In Australia he salvaged and helped rebuild a B-17D Flying Fortress bomber with a combination a parts from other wrecked B-17s. At that time the repaired B-17 was nicknamed "The Swoose", by 19th Bomb Group pilot Captain Weldon Smith, after the tail of 40-3091 was grafted onto 40-3097, resulting in an aircraft that was "half swan and half goose". Later it was listed to be scrapped and smelted down for its aluminium content, until Kurtz convinced the City of Los Angeles to retrieve the bomber for use as a war memorial. The Swoose is the only "D model" B-17 still in existence. It was the only B-17 that flew from the beginning of World War II until the end. It is now being restored at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Fairborn, Ohio. After 24 years in the services of the United States Armed Forces he retired and became a top executive of the William May Garland development firm.
Kurtz was the 3rd child of Frank Kurtz, Sr. and wife Dora, and was born in Davenport, Iowa U.S.A. The actress Swoosie Kurtz (b 1944) is the only child of Kurtz, and his wife, author Margo Kurtz. The unique first name "Swoosie" (rhymes with Lucy, rather than woozy) is derived from the B-17s named "The Swoose" and "Swoose II", which Kurtz piloted during World War II with the 19th and 463rd Bomb Groups. Kurtz died in 1996 from complications following a fall.
Read more about this topic: Frank Kurtz
Famous quotes containing the words life and/or career:
“There is not any present moment that is unconnected with some future one. The life of every man is a continued chain of incidents, each link of which hangs upon the former. The transition from cause to effect, from event to event, is often carried on by secret steps, which our foresight cannot divine, and our sagacity is unable to trace. Evil may at some future period bring forth good; and good may bring forth evil, both equally unexpected.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
““Never hug and kiss your children! Mother love may make your children’s infancy unhappy and prevent them from pursuing a career or getting married!” That’s total hogwash, of course. But it shows on extreme example of what state-of-the-art “scientific” parenting was supposed to be in early twentieth-century America. After all, that was the heyday of efficiency experts, time-and-motion studies, and the like.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)