User:Mark.crabtree/Frank Magana

Frank Joseph Magana
The eldest son of the late Mary and Frank Joseph Magana, Sr. He was raised and received his education in Dewey and graduated high school in 1949. During his high school years, he played football and during his junior year, helped to take the team to an All State School Championship.

After graduation, he received an All State Scholarship to the University of Oklahoma to play football for Coach Bud Wilkinson. Shortly after entering college, he was drafted and later received an honorable discharge. Frank returned to Dewey and in 1951, married Barbara Gail Slanker of Bartlesville. Frank later went on to establish Bluestem Foundry with Carl Mason and his brother, Cecil Magana, which they operated from 1951 to 1985.

Frank loved architecture and built several homes in the Oklahoma/Arkansas area throughout his life.

He was involved in several Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff projects, including the Bavinger_House, and the Price Tower, where he designed and manufactured the original Price Tower furniture and all of the exterior metal work for the price tower. The last Bartlesville community project Frank was involved in was the design and manufacturing of the iron gates and iron lettering on the Bartlesville Community Center. Frank also built Shin'enKan(Joe Price's house), in Bartlesville, Oklahoma for Bruce Goff.

He recently contributed in the design and building of the new Best Western Hotel in Norman, Oklahoma and was working on a truck stop for the city of Purcell Oklahoma, a golf course and shopping mall project in Norman when he became ill. His most satisfying project, however, was working alongside his son-in-law, Mark Crabtree, to build a family home in Norman in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright.