Remembering Frank Thornton
by Kay Teetor, October 20, 2011.....

Meeting Frank Thornton was an event with proper social introduction. As I was interested in the unique tenant and occupant questions that always surround Thompson’s Point, I went to a meeting of the Charlotte Historical Society. Frank was then the vice-president, this around 1972; most importantly he was instant legal counsel for this dedicated group.  Headquartered in that  beautiful 1850 Greek Revival building on Museum Road, said building was without heat, septic or running water. Thanks to hospitality extended by Happy Patrick in their 1812 Federal-style residence, we attained great comfort for our get-togethers.
Frank had talents galore. One fine Sunday afternoon when I was museum-sitting a regular open house, I could not leave at closing time:  the key would not come out of the lock. I called, desperate for advice. He said, “I’ll be right over,” arriving with tool box and a complicated kit. Surprise! He had a degree in locksmithing! He removed the key and repaired the mechanism then and there; it has been working just fine ever since.
Frank, as we know from his formal obituary, got his first degree in physics. I enjoyed a comment posted by one of his colleagues who was given a sign for his office, said sign provided by Frank Thornton: “Physics is a subject for Scholars. All others are barred because of incompetence.”
As a dedicated historian, Frank checked out the status of the most underprivileged in town and published “Poverty in Charlotte, Vermont 1778-1920” (Chittenden County Historical Society Bulletin, Summer 2001). The town took every action to find relatives to take care of settled paupers. When no one could be found, Charlotte auctioned off the poor people to the lowest bidder. One instance: “old Mrs. Tucker” to be kept by Thomas Keeler for 95 cents a week including victuals, clothing, and doctoring. The town had an Overseer of the Poor, and this lasted until 1848 when Charlotte established a Poor Farm by purchasing Thompsons’s Point. The details here illuminate Frank’s sense of social justice that permeated many of his writings.  
We had great arguments. Frank was thoroughly Irish and condemned the unfair treatment of his land by the Royal and Parliamentary powers in London. However, his work was almost totally dependent on The Common Law. The conflicts were many, and he was a master of conciliation.
As a gift to the town, the Historical Society holds an annual Christmas Open House on the first Sunday in December replete with splendid stuff including open bottles of spirits and the tallest of trees. Just this week, we read that the Fred Andersons of Charlotte just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. This enterprising couple ran a tree farm and generously gave us one of the best.Frank, very proficient with his truck, would pick up the tree and deliver it to the museum where willing workers awaited. One year, no truck in sight, we heard a Rescue Squad siren just around the corner and learned they had our good friend Frank as a passenger.  He was well taken care of at Fletcher Allen, where even then he was well known, and wonderful Mary and Frank, much to our delight, came to the scheduled open house.
In my own Hall of Heroes, Frank has a special place. He provided legal help to me with Thompson’s Point shore-front access questions, and his written answers are now on file at the office of the Charlotte Town Clerk – another instance of public service here, which is highlighted by his long and intermittent years of being a Selectman.
Always well  occupied, the Thorntons nevertheless kept a hospitable kitchen with recliners for the couple, good space for TV viewing of the news. Their home was spacious, my realization complete when he invited me to his office to inspect surveys and landmaps. The view through large windows was heavenly, and his desk had large working surfaces, perfect lighting and the inevitable computers he probably designed!  
Frank had most selective reading requirements – he would not buy a newspaper that did not have comics, so the erudition of the New York Times was lost to him.  
The Thorntons lived on that hilltop, in the same house as when they settled in Charlotte. Someone asked, back when Frank was 40 years old and new to IBM, why they planned a house in an area where “there is nothing there.”  “For just that reason” was the reply. Mary and Frank are an integral part of many histories, especially in Charlotte with its 50 square miles and low population density. His walking tours of the West Village grew in popularity each year. He left memories  of lasting enjoyment for so many. He wrote all of “Charlotte Road Statistics. Their Locations and Widths.” The Thorntons have themselves made history.