On December 5, 2002, NASA lost one of its stars, Frank Hoban. Recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and the Apollo Achievement Award, Hoban ended his NASA career as director of the Project Management Initiative. In 1997, he published a book about his NASA career, Where Do You Go After You've Been to the Moon?
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I first met Frank the day after I was assigned to form a Space Station task force. Frank stopped by my office to say that he knew we would need someone to look after management, and he was interested in the job. I liked his style, and I gave him the job on the spot—probably the best program decision I ever made.
We discussed the organization we needed for the task force, and realized that we couldn't afford to go through the usual advertising and selection. So, Frank personally persuaded the best and the brightest to join the program. It was a great outfit, and we had a lot of fun—thanks in large part to Frank's efforts. (Everyone remembers the summer parties that we had at his farm in Northern Maryland.)
To the end, Frank excelled at making people want to take part in whatever he was working on. We will miss you, friend.
- John Hodge
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It was often said of Frank that he had an "idea a minute," and many of them were exceptional. But the most important example Frank set for us was his marriage to his beloved Mary Louise. Although married for decades, they remained as giddily in love with each other as a pair of high school sweethearts. I remember when Frank was still working at NASA headquarters, they would talk often during the day. I never heard Frank end one of their conversations with anything other than, "Love
you," or "I love you, too." You only had to be around them for a few minutes before you were not only in awe of their devotion to one another, but also a bit envious as well.
- Tony Schoenfelder
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Frank was quite amazing in a number of special ways. I remember his smile that encouraged all to sit and talk, his genuine respect for people's ideas and comments, and his creative imagination never at rest. He was dedicated to developing training programs and tools to enhance the effectiveness of project managers at NASA. Although his formal resources were limited in this endeavor, somehow he attracted talented individuals to join him. Textbooks define this as leadership. Frank was
an extraordinary leader and a great friend.
- Dale Crossman
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I first met Frank over 20 years ago when I joined the Space Station Task Force. He liked to point out that he was the fourth person hired on the program, while I was somewhat later on the list. My response to him was that at least I was the second Irishman. I dubbed him "Father Mulcahy" after the priest in the television series M.A.S.H because so many people in the office brought their problems to him.
After we both left Space Station, we went to different offices at NASA Headquarters, but stayed in frequent contact. After retiring from NASA, Frank put together a program to tap the talents of other retired NASA managers. The last time I saw him was at a meeting on December 3rd, and he was as upbeat as ever.
As distinguished as his career was, Frank's real strength was his character. He was one of my best friends, and I miss him every day.
- John Sheahan
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