Franklin "Frankie" Tenn attended Central Branch Primary School on Church Street near King Street in downtown Kingston before entering KC in January 1948 and left in December 1954 after taking the HSC certificate twice.
He won a Jamaica Exhibition Scholarship to the University College of The West Indies (as it was then, affiliated to the University of London) where he earned a B.Sc degree in Natural Sciences in 1957 and a Diploma in Chemical Technology in 1958.In September 1958 he began Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto (the main Campus) where he received a Masters in Chemical Engineering in November 1960.
Frankie's formal work experience includes Process Engineer at Alcan Jamaica's Williams field alumina Plant in Manchester where he also served as President of the Kirkvine Sports Club. He later worked in a number of family businesses, Carib Cement Co., Esso West Indies' Oil Refinery and Industrial Chemical Co. (Spanish Town) before migrating with his family to Toronto, where he still resides with his wife, three adult children and two grandchildren.
In the early '60's Frankie returned to KC where he gave invaluable assistance to the track and Field programme and would be a fixture at Clovelly Park during the track season. It was said that Frankie's stopwatch timed kids whenever they moved as potential recruits to sustain the athletic dynasty that reigned during his tenure at the college.
Later he was elected to the Executive of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) and became Hon. Secretary in 1971. Soon after the late Foggy Burrowes was co-opted to the Executive and under their dynamic leadership the JAAA embarked on a programme of island-wide development, holding Meets at Vere, Dinthill and Morant Bay which had never been done before, using a Tour Bus to take Kingston athletes to the Meets. To provide competition they established the Foster-Lamont Memorial Meet at the national Stadium honoring those two stalwarts of Track athletics who had largely been forgotten.
During this fruitful period discussions led to the founding of the now world famous Gibson Relays in February 1973--Frankie was a founding Committee member. He also accompanied many Track teams overseas as Manager and Organised the first pioneering team to the most famous Track Meet in Cuba in May 1973.
The Barrientos Memorial Games has been held since the mid '30's to honour a Cuban star, Renee Barrientos and has been held ever since in May. All arrangements were made personally with the Cuban ambassador, a Senor Velasquez and a party of local athletes, about 28 men and women plus seven officials, travelled on a special Cubana Airlines flight to Havana where our team was the biggest and most successful there. Many Eastern European countries sent small second tier athletes but ours were more competitive and the Cubans were very thankful for our presence. It was at that Meet where we first saw the 20 year old Alberto Juantorena who won the 400m from Seymour Newman and TC Campbell.
Frankie was a member of the Delegation that lobbied the Jamaican Government to establish and name the now well-known G.C. Foster Sports College in Angels, Spanish Town. This valuable institution has brought honor and recognition to the famous "GC", athlete, mentor, Coach, friend and Supreme Motivator who laboured in the Jamaican athletic fields for many years for little or no compensation or recognition.
Frankie Tenn is an unsung Old Boy who selflessly and quietly contributed to the 14 year unbroken run of Kingston College at Champs, Jamaica's long and famous annual High School Athletic Championships and who was part of the pioneering Fortis Team of Dedicated track lovers and patriots who laid the Foundation for Jamaica's great success and standing today in Track and Field.
