Thomas Andrew Franks

Thomas Andrew Franks, who wrote the computer software for large municipal 911 systems in the early days of their development in the United States, died June 18 at the East Texas Medical Center in Pittsburg.  He was 66.   
Franks came to Pittsburg in 1972, following his marriage to Carolyn Heath Franks. He and she alternated as organists for St. William Laud Episcopal Church. Franks gave piano lessons, and his students won awards all over the state.   In 1973 Franks organized the Pittsburg-Camp County Boys Choir, which he directed until the end of the decade.  The group performed widely in East Texas and also appeared in concerts at the state capitol, Saltillo, Mexico and other sites.  
In 1980, Franks co-founded the Pittsburg-Camp County Arts Council, which fostered the performing arts locally for enrichment in Pittsburg schools, and also for the public.  
During the 1980s Franks and his wife ran Texas Music Supply, which also sold computers.  Franks became intrigued with programming and taught himself computer languages.  He became such a skilled programmer that the state of New Jersey asked Franks to write the programming code for their state-wide 911 system.  He went on to do the same for the city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada.  In 1999, the Boston Stock Exchange asked Franks to develop software that would protect the system from possible malfunctions during the “Y-2K” decade turnover in 2000.
Most recently, Franks worked as a Blue Cross-Blue Shield systems engineer from an office in his Pittsburg home.  He designed software for electronic claims transmissions.  
Services for Franks were conducted June 22 by the Rev. Terry Matthews at Saint William Laud Episcopal Church, where he was a long-time member.  
Franks was a son of Kent Livingston Franks and Georgia McGill Franks, and was born Aug. 8, 1946, in Orange.   He attended Lamar University in Beaumont.  He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Kevin R. Franks.  He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Carolyn Franks; a son, Brandon Heath Franks of Longview;  a grandson, Aaron Franks of Pittsburg; and a sister, Janelda and Harvey Mitchell of Seabrook.