Reflections on the Spitzer Center's Programs from the Diocese of Phoenix

 

 

Fr. Robert Spitzer on the Priestly Vocation

 

Fr. Robert Spitzer Debates the Question, "Did God Create the Universe?" on Larry King Live

 

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“He Has Done All Things Well”: A Tribute to Hank Frigon, Founding Chairman, Spitzer Center

 

Hank Frigon (center, foreground) and some of his many friends. Clockwise from behind Hank are his wife, Anne Marie, Michelle and Ric Brutocao, Bill McIntyre, and Fr. Robert Spitzer. The photo was taken on April 4, 2005 at the Frigon home at the second board of directors meeting for the Spitzer Center.

By Jim Berlucchi

This column regularly expounds upon virtue and how its cultivation brings human happiness and excellence. Virtue is glorious. Virtue is precious. Virtue is its own reward.

And virtue also has a wonderful double effect. It both makes its possessor happy and spreads that happiness through that same possessor.

I’ve always loved the succinct description of our Savior’s virtue: “He has done all things well” (Mark 7:37). And of his life it is written, “He went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).

These are good summations of the life of Hank Frigon, Founding Chairman of the Spitzer Center. Hank died on June 18, at the age of 76. He had battled with cancer for many years, and as was Hank’s style, he fought it strongly. He didn’t go down easily. But though death took his body, his soul is now with Him whom Hank most desired.

No one loved life more than Hank. Whether it was travel, golf, business ventures, Notre Dame, or the arts, Hank was thoroughly engaged in these plus many other interests.

No one loved family more than Hank. He and Anne Marie had six children (four in four years) and ten grandchildren. More than once Hank would cancel a phone meeting because a new grandchild had just been born. He and Anne Marie would be catching the next flight to welcome the new arrival. Frigon festivities were frequent, whether skiing in Colorado or at the beach in the summer. And Hank was always in the thick of it, surrounded by a happy, boisterous Frigon clan.

But it seemed to me that his many loves were driven by one dominant Love. Hank thoroughly believed in God. His foundational virtue was a quiet yet dogged, penetrating faith, a faith that fueled his involvement in many charitable works. He believed everything that God has revealed through the Catholic Church. Raised during the glory days of good old religion, he once defended his beliefs at a dinner meeting, declaring: “If it’s good enough for the Baltimore Catechism, it’s good enough for me.”

No one countered his claim.

“Something Deeper” An excerpt from the eulogy delivered by Hank’s son, Scott Frigon. While his is a story of tenacity and success, it is also a story of service to others and love, but underlying all those actions was perhaps something else, that “something deeper.”  Perhaps it was service and devotion to God.  In a flash, I started to recall the many churches we visited, the many Masses he attended, how his hand was always extended to join him for church, or say the rosary or read a prayer ... all those invitations to join him in faith and prayer.  It was a revelation. Perhaps many of these moments and stories and events and gifts were more than memories. Perhaps they were all acts, acts of faith and devotion – his way of living in service to his faith, his way of walking in the shadow of the Lord.  I look around at some of the lives he touched. People – many in this church – are so kind to tell me how he may have helped you in some way. Perhaps he energized you or challenged you to greater heights, or provided a bit of that laser-like advice. Perhaps through a tough time or in a tough moment, with your dream or charity or help in your careers or personal life, he was always there for a "hand-up."  Perhaps he was that compass … perhaps a guiding light … perhaps that shepherd. They say, “give a man a fish and he will not be hungry, but teach him to fish and he will never go hungry again.”  But what do they say about the man who can teach the man to fish? One who can help others help themselves?  A teacher?  A servant?  I hope they say, “His life will be fulfilled and the Kingdom of God will be theirs.” So let us not cry.  Let's celebrate his life.  Let’s tell stories.  Laugh.  His legacy lives in each of us through our memories.  But also remember...that “something deeper.”  Remember his stories as acts, acts of faith.  Remember him with your own acts.  Pray, as he did.  Say a rosary.  Be humble in your faith and strong in values and religious convictions.  But also be a shepherd for others.  Be a warm invitation to a faithful life.  Give someone else a hand up.  Lead.  Encourage others in their relationship with God. Extend an invitation to church.  Attract others in a spiritual life.  But remember him, not to be remembered for the glory of himself, but as God’s faithful servant – someone who touched us with his acts of love, who helped us find our own faithful way, so that we may also be servants of God’s love, as he loved Him.

Generosity was a second unmistakable virtue. I first met the Frigons in Legatus, an association of Catholic CEOs where I served as executive director. Hank had been very involved in other secular organizations for CEOs and was thrilled to find one that was faith-based. He dove in head first.

He and Anne Marie were immediate contributors, and this didn’t escape my notice. I repeatedly sought their help. They chaired a national conference. Hank served as a regional director, and later as a national board member and treasurer. When other assignments were proposed, Hank never said no. Virtues are permanent dispositions and have a predictable character. Hank’s generosity was like a reflex – a virtue so habituated, he couldn’t help himself.

So when we founded the Spitzer Center, it was natural to turn to Hank and Anne Marie. Hank was our first patron and our first chairman. He and Anne Marie hosted our inaugural meeting in his home in Desert Mountain, Arizona on February 21, 2005. The Spitzer Center was literally conceived around the Frigon dining room table.

Hank was also a man of great intelligence, which helped to make him a great chairman. Always positive, always forward thinking, always creative, gracious and wise, Hank was easy to admire and follow.  A good listener, his primary method of leading the directors was by posing insightful questions. He had an uncanny ability to synthesize suggestions and distill an action plan. He was also a perfectionist, poring over the financials like a detective. He was a constant learner whose vast executive experience made him a candidate for many corporate boards, including H&R Block, Dimon Corporation, Tuesday Morning, Iams Corporation, CARSTAR Inc., Pulte Housing, Sypris Solutions, and Nautilus International.

Faith, generosity, intelligence. These attributes expressed themselves in a fourth unmistakable virtue that deservedly won for him many friends. Hank had grace, a virtue intimately associated with God himself. The Lord is gracious and merciful (Psalm 145:8).

His warm smile, gentle manner, sincere interest, and unfailing courtesy made those around him feel respected and well regarded. “My friend” was one of Hank’s most well worn phrases: “How are you, my friend?” ... “I hope you are well, my friend.” ... "Talk to you later, my friend” at the end of a phone conversation.

In each of these casual encounters, one would always feel befriended and ennobled, not only by the kind phrase, but the sincere tone. For Hank “my friend” was not just a diplomatic greeting. He really meant it. And it was confirmed through his deeds and reflected in his legions of friends.

Fr. Spitzer was in close touch with Anne Marie during Hank’s final days in hospice, offering counsel, prayer and Masses. “I’m tremendously grateful to Hank’s leadership and friendship. We already miss his kind presence and guidance. Of course his beloved wife Anne Marie, children and grandchildren will miss him terribly. He left us ennobled, enriched, and better.”

Such is the legacy of a man of virtue, a man who “went about doing good” and “doing all things well.”

Jim Berlucchi is the Executive Director of the Spitzer Center.

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Last changed: Jul 07 2011 at 2:32 PM