Jennings, Frank W., 1917-

Frank W. Jennings is the author of San Antonio: The Story of an Enchanted City, a history of the city, and principal founder of San Antonio Founder's Day.

Born in 1917 in Missoula, Montana, Frank W. Jennings spent 40 years in military service--first as a commission information office and later as a civilian employee. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve in 1972 and as a civilian in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force in 1985.

After his Air Force civil service retirement in 1985, Jennings continued his writing career by delving into an array of topics, but most predominantly, the history of San Antonio, publishing countless articles in Texas Highways, Senior Sentinel, The San Antonio Conservation Society Journal, and other publications. In 1998 his 400 page overview of the city and its cultural heritage, San Antonio, The Story of an Enchanted City was published by the San Antonio Express News . The book represents the first comprehensive survey of the city’s past since 1959 when Charles Ramsdell wrote San Antonio: An Historical and Pictorial Guide.

Jennings' interest in San Antonio's history extends to his involvement in the Texas State Historical Association, the San Antonio Historical Association, the San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society, the San Antonio Conservation Society and other local organizations. He played a central role in having a Texas historical marked erected on Houston Street to commemorate San Pedro Creek as the birthplace of San Antonio.

Sources: "Natural Historian," Paula Allen, March 22, 1998. and "Brief Biography of Francis (Frank) W. Jennings," Frank W. Jennings, March 1999.