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January 28 - February 24, 2017
P A T R O N S A L U T E | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
Elaine Frank’s love of opera is multi-faceted:
she had an operaphile for a mother, she sang
in an opera chorus as a young woman, and she
married a future Lyric Board member who fell
in love with the business of the art form. She
and her late husband Zollie attended Lyric’s
calling card performance of
Don
Giovanni
in 1954, and Elaine has been
a loyal patron ever since. All four of her
children appreciate music (“They like
what mom likes!”), and several of her
grandchildren are musically inclined.
One granddaughter in particular has
attended dozens of Lyric performances
on NEXT Student Discount tickets and
is the reason Elaine helps underwrite
the initiative.
Elaine was introduced to Zollie
Frank by her sister, who had met the
budding businessman through a mutual
friend. The son of a produce vendor
from Dayton, Ohio, Zollie had to leave
college during his first year, returning
home to run the family business when
his father became ill. After selling the
business shortly thereafter, Zollie was
hired by a major grocery store chain
to develop the company’s frozen food
department in California. On his way
out west, he stopped in Chicago to
buy a car. The Chrysler-Plymouth
dealership he visited was struggling to
stay afloat, the particulars of which
the owners openly discussed in front of Zollie
in Yiddish, thinking he was an Irishman. “The
story goes that the owners were joking that
they should sell my father the dealership and
when it tanked they would take it back,” says
Laurie Lieberman, Elaine and Zollie’s eldest
daughter, “and this really got my dad’s bristles
up. Of course, he could understand every word
they were saying, having grown up in a Jewish
household. He bought it to spite them, and
for many years was the largest auto dealership
in the world.”
Zollie never made it to California and
instead went on to create an empire of car
dealerships in Chicago, first continuing as
“Z” Frank Chrysler-Plymouth, and then
converting to “Z” Frank Chevrolet in 1953.
“Although he never finished college,” Elaine
says, “he was a consummate entrepreneur
who had an incredible mind for business.
When the depression hit, he went around the
Midwest buying all the cars he could find so
he would have an inventory to sell when the
car manufacturers became engaged in war
production.”
Elaine on the other had was a sharp young
woman forging her own way as the only female
business student at the University of Chicago
from 1934 to 1938. Prior to beginning her
studies, Elaine had a shot at stardom: she
was studying with the leading voice teacher
in Chicago at the time and singing with the
Chicago Opera Company – Lyric’s predecessor
– in the chorus. “When I was considering
whether to continue my studies in voice or to
go to college, my voice teacher encouraged me
to seize the opportunity to get an education,”
Elaine says. “Not that I couldn’t have made
it – there was another girl studying with me
then who went on and had some success as an
opera singer – but it was a time when many
women could not afford to go to college, and I
was fortunate that I could.”
Elaine flourished in a competitive
environment dominated by men, all of whom
seemed to appreciate both her charm and her
wit. She met Zollie during this time, and they
were married shortly before Elaine earned
her degree. By then “Z” Frank Chrysler-
Plymouth was thriving, and Elaine devoted
her life to raising her four beautiful children
and spending countless hours advocating for
causes she believed in. She spent much of
her time working for charitable organizations
and for human rights. She became the first
woman president of the Jewish Community
Centers of Chicago’s Central Board and
was an impressive fundraiser. She was also
an appointed member of President Nixon’s
White House Committee on Children in
1970 and served on several non-profit boards,
including the Board of Governors of the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Although family duties often kept
her from attending live performances,
Elaine played her beloved opera
records around the house, singing
along. “My dad loved her voice, and
would encourage her to sing often
and everywhere,” Laurie recalls. “She
would go to senior homes around the
holidays and sing for them, and she
brought her granddaughters with her
when they were old enough.” Laurie
also remembers how excited her kids
would get when grandma would take
them to Saturday afternoon concerts
at the symphony with lunch at the
Standard Club beforehand. “They have
such fond memories of those outings.”
Zollie was asked to join Lyric’s
Board of Directors in 1968. Although
he wasn’t a huge opera fan, he was an
astute businessman and was fascinated
by the inner workings of the company.
He loved knowing Lyric’s founder,
Carol Fox, and being one of the family;
of course Elaine was thrilled to be part
of it all. Opening Night of each season
was a grand occasion. “I remember seeing one
of Lily Pons’s last performances of
Lucia di
Lammermoor
from a mezzanine box when I
was young,” Laurie says. “The production had
this giant wooden staircase for the mad scene;
I’ll never forget it.”
When Zollie passed away in 1991, he
left behind an incredible legacy, both in his
business ventures, and at Lyric. Wanting to
commemorate their longstanding commitment
to the company, Elaine and her family named
the Elaine and Zollie Frank Rehearsal Room
as part of the Building on Greatness capital
campaign. Elaine continues to be a loyal Lyric
supporter, attending as many performances
as she can before heading to California each
winter. Most recently, Elaine gave generously
to the Breaking New Ground campaign’s stage
renovation project to ensure Lyric’s technology
is competitive with its sister institutions.
“Opera has been a part of my life since I
was a young girl, and still is as I am turning 100.
I am grateful for all the wonderful memories
my involvement at Lyric has afforded me.”
—
Meaghan Stainback
Elaine S. Frank:
Keeping Opera in the Family
Zollie and Elaine Frank