Frasier Mountain was a great American. Frasier's close friend Steve Cason described him as a "teacher, mentor, historian, father, husband and bomber pilot." Frasier played many roles and he did all of them well.
His family took first billing. Frasier Mountain spoke often about the successful career of his daughter Diane who works in education as well as his granddaughter Ashley who followed in her mother's footsteps. If you ever took a walk with Frasier in Tom Varn Park, he may have pointed out the spot where he would sit with his young granddaughter in the afternoon and talk about how the day had gone.
Family photos line the walls of his office as well as medals that he earned and those of his son Duane who passed away in 2009. He spoke proudly of Duane and his many achievements over a long career in the Air Force where he spent 26 years in Special Operations earning 30,000 hours of flight time. He would talk about his wife Nancy who also recently passed away and how they had been happily married for 67 years. Despite these losses that so clearly tore at his heart, he continued to pursue his passion.
Frasier was a lover of knowledge, so much so that he collected and categorized it on an elaborate computer system. A large flat screen hooked up to his computers took a prominent place in his office. This he used to display the historical information that he had collected over the years, from mining, electricity, ghost towns, old newspapers and cemeteries throughout Hernando County. He accumulated over a terabyte of information. Frasier kept regular meetings with like minded individuals to talk about history and genealogy.
When a genealogy colleague had suffered a stroke and had to move up north to be closer to family, she left behind her genealogy library that consisted of perhaps 200 books. Frasier worried about his dear friend's lifelong collection and saw to its preservation when the movers were about to throw the entire library in the trash. Frasier took the records home and began the tedious task of organizing them. Frasier also helped a friend acquire her father's military service records. His goal was the preservation of history and he was not shy about voicing his opinions when history was in jeopardy of being lost.
I had the fortunate opportunity to get to know Frasier. I was referred to him by Suzanne at the Train Depot Museum in Brooksville in order to get additional information about a piece of property in the vicinity of the Centralia ghost town. She did warn me that Frasier enjoyed talking, but that was okay because I enjoy listening. And so I listened to Frasier on many occasions. He provided information on Centralia, the neighboring communities and so much more.
In November of 2014, The Hernando Today ceased operations. My husband Rocco and I felt that our community would ultimately become a suburb of Tampa if there was no local newspaper. This would be a tragedy, as Hernando County is such a unique place and deserves a newspaper that captures the county's unique identity. I discussed the idea of starting a newspaper with Frasier one day in his study. His mind immediately lit up.
Frasier lamented the state of the newspaper industry in the county and the country in general. He recalled the days when his friends Jim and Carolyn Talley operated the Brooksville Sun Journal which printed over 17 local newspapers throughout the region.
He wrote to me about beginning a community newspaper,
"It is a great idea to me for a new venture, but the economics I think would be difficult, but the community deserves something besides these little flyers and books which are nothing more than superlative ad chasers. They offer no news or local gossip or happenings. Of course, in today's society we do not communicate or gossip in the same manner we used to, the internet and TV has done away with the family chatter, the neighborhood climate and the community spirit, all of which I deem to be very important for the well being, mannerly, honest, organized community spirit.....and the newspaper has always been at the heart of all that........from the personal delivery boy (where I started) to the editorial leadership where we should be headed with down to earth comments of what is going on from the mouths of those in charge and the wannabees...Everybody needs a voice! At this time we have none of the above....even the big time newspapers with their satellite editions do not fill that void left by the old Brooksville Sun-Journal of years ago."
With Frasier's enthusiasm and support, Rocco and I ventured into the newspaper business, not fully aware of the difficulties to come. Anytime we approached a roadblock, Frasier was there with an encouraging word. And of course he was there with his vast historical resources.
Frasier, born in 1923, did not merely preserve and collect history. He experienced it.
The Mountain family originally came to Hernando County in the 1880's, crossing the Withlacoochee River at Pemberton Ferry. The family had a contact in Oriole and they were going to work there. Oriole was a small town situated beside Oriole Lake a little over a mile from the Withlacoochee River. Frasier's father was born in Oriole in 1891. His siblings were all born in either Georgia or Alabama. Frasier's father had at one point worked at the Spector Store in Oriole.
Frasier's father became Superintendent of the Camp Castle mine in the 1920's. Frasier grew up there. He was passionate about the importance of mining to the county's economy and was a walking encyclopedia about the industry. He explained how his father took on the project of reinforcing the originally wooden "castle" which functioned as the hard rock processing plant with poured cement. The remains of the castle still stand on the property.
Frasier attended Hernando High School, graduating in 1940. In that year, an editorial he wrote was published in The Hilltop, the school newspaper. The editorial aptly captured the climate of a country about to enter WWII. He warned his classmates to be prepared for the struggle ahead.
So Goes The Battle
AN EDITORIAL
Published in the Hernando High School Hill Top, May 1940
We have been told many times that we are going out of school as a charging army to meet a belligerent world. Our battlefield is the world in general. Many of our valiant soldiers will be donned with medal of honor and accomplishment, while others will be among those crushed even when the smoke of battle is cleared. The latter of these were defeated because they were unprepared. In the training camp they attended, they paid little heed to the fact that they were training for preparedness when at last the battle should come.
This scene exemplifies clearly the status of the present Senior Class of Hernando High School and every other high school. Many of the people in this Senior Class will take advantage of the training which we are so fortunate to have in this country. These are the ones which will later gather the medals of honor and accomplishment, while on the other hand those that were pessimists, or the "I don't care" type will be downtrodden groups whose deeds and accomplishments never amount to very much.
So, Seniors, which Corps will you serve in- the officers or the doughboys? Remember it makes little difference who you are- it's what you are.
-By Frasier Mountain
Frasier was prepared for the struggle. Three years later, he graduated from the Army Air Corp and flight training, which put him into the cockpit of B-26 bombers. He trained in various places around the country, including Syracuse, NY where he met his wife Nancy who was studying at Syracuse University.
Frasier's unit was trained by the Flying Tigers, who famously rallied America's spirits with a series of victories over Japan following Pearl Harbor. The Flying Tigers flew the iconic P-40's emblazoned with a shark's toothy grimace.
After the training, Frasier earned 800 hours of combat flight time during campaigns in India, Burma and China. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice among four Air Medals and three Battle Stars.
Following the War, Frasier and Nancy moved back to Brooksville and started a heating and air conditioning company. During that time Frasier served five years active duty in the Air Force and then 35 years of reserve duty.
Frasier, a major in the Air Force at the time, played an integral role in developing the Brooksville Airport, serving as Treasurer of the first Aviation Authority.
He was actively involved in the community in so many ways, from the development of Brooksville's One Room Schoolhouse to Chinsegut Hill projects and the refurbishment of the Hernando Co. Mining Assoc. Enrichment Center, formerly the Brooksville Quarry processing plant.
Many of us knew Frasier and will miss him dearly.
----
Frasier Mountain's Memorial will be held at Saxon Manor 103 South Saxon Avenue, Brooksville, Florida 34601 Thursday Oct. 13th from 5 to 7pm.