Former OIT Recruiting and Placement Director, Frank Stanko, passed away peacefully from natural causes at the White Pine County Care Center in Ely, Nevada, on January 29, 2025.
In his 96 years of life, Frank was witness to an amazing time in our great American history. When asked his secret for living to old age, he would reply, “Well, growing old is not for the faint of heart. But really, I didn’t want to miss a moment of it!”
A native of Pueblo, Colorado, Frank was born December 6, 1928. Growing up in Pueblo, he was a good student and a natural-born athlete on the Central High School golf and football teams.
Upon graduation, Frank was awarded an athletic scholarship to attend college but chose instead to defer the scholarship and enlist with the U.S. Navy, which was engaged in World War II (WWII). He served a deployment aboard the USS Wisconsin battleship.
After serving in the military, Frank went to college at Colorado State University (CSU), located in Fort Collins, Colorado. From 1948-51, Frank played the position of first-string defensive left end on the Colorado State football team.
In 1952, Frank received his bachelor’s degree in education, married his fellow college sweetheart, Betty Keating, and began his official teaching/coaching career, first as head coach of high school football and track at Craig, Colorado, followed by three years as head coach of football at Green River High School in Wyoming. In 1956, Frank received his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from CSU.
That same year, Frank was hired to serve as Dean of Men and Director of Placement at the Oregon Technical Institute (later renamed Oregon Institute of Technology). Frank and Betty and their young toddlers settled down in Klamath Falls, Oregon. For the next 12 years, Frank oversaw college recruiting and was instrumental in helping OTI graduates obtain successful career placement opportunities. Frank took to heart the OTI motto: “Through knowledge, light.” The 1960’s was a growing boom time in the American economy. The school’s enrollment grew rapidly, and Frank worked hard to provide important opportunities for students to showcase their skills to prospective employers. Likewise, Frank quickly established for companies that OTI was a goldmine of ready willing and skilled future employees ready and able to fill their hiring needs.
In 1968, Frank was hired by Kennecott Copper Corporation (KCC) Nevada Mines Division to serve as head of Industrial Relations at the copper smelting plant, located in McGill, Nevada. Eventually, he was promoted to supervisor of plant safety and security and later served as crushing foreman.
When the KCC NV Mines Division shut down smelting operations in 1983, Frank went to work as the guidance counselor and coordinator of special education for the White Pine County School District until his retirement in 1995. From the 1970’s through to his retirement, Frank also served on the board of the Western Nevada Community College. He was a firm believer in the importance of a good, solid primary/secondary education and providing an opportunity for higher education for everyone, especially for those living in rural Nevada.
Frank was quite pleased and proud of the fact that his youngest son, Joe Stanko, earned two degrees from OIT: one in Diesel Automotive Technology (1988) and the other in Manufacturing Engineering Technology (2014).
Counting his time serving in the U.S. military, Frank Stanko worked a total of 40 plus years in a diverse and interesting career of coaching, teaching, counseling, and supervising roles. Always, his main goal was to help others achieve success in their own lives and vocations.
A celebration of life for Frank Stanko is scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, May 24 2025, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ely, Nevada.