Frank J. Sparzo
March 15, 1935 - October 6, 2021
Frank Sparzo passed away peacefully on October 6, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana, surrounded by his loving family. His final hours exemplified the way he lived his life: Despite his weak and debilitated state, Frank used his last remaining energy to comfort his wife, children, and grandchildren and made heroic efforts to find words and gestures that conveyed his love and appreciation for each one of them. Frank leaves behind his beloved wife Rosalie Rohm-Sparzo, his former wife and the mother of his five children Martha Sparzo, daughters Lori Sparzo (Matthew Lawson), Melissa Elliott (Ronald Elliott), and Andrea Sparzo Blomquist (Jason Blomquist), his sons Darrel Sparzo (Peggy Driscol) and John Sparzo (Amanda Sparzo), his step-son Jason Higgs (Dana Higgs), his 12 grandchildren: Jessica, Weston, Emily, Blake, Nicholas, Sophia, Samuel, Olivia, Mark Gabriel, Michael Christian, Avery and Faye, step-grandchild Richard, and two great grandchildren, Owen and Wyatt. He was predeceased by his parents Bernard and Grace (Scalzo) Sparzo, his brother Bernard Sparzo and nephew, Christopher Sparzo.
Francis Joseph Sparzo was born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut, where he graduated from Crosby High School. His parents were the children of Italian immigrants, his father's side from Naples and his mother's side from Calabria. Frank spoke fondly of the Italian neighborhood where he grew up, often describing it as "emotionally rich." Many experiences from these early years have provided material for the delightfully humorous stories with which he has entertained family and friends, especially over the last few decades of his life.
Frank began studying the accordion at an early age. By middle school he was playing on a live, weekly radio show, and he was the youngest member of a jazz band that played at numerous local venues. One of his favorite stories is about his effort, at age 14, to blend in during a gig at a dance club by using his mother’s eyeliner to draw a mustache on his upper lip. To his dismay, the band members burst out laughing the moment they saw him, and they ribbed him even more when his efforts to remove the mustache left red and black splotches for the rest of the evening. Throughout these early years, Frank also studied classical accordion and in high school won second place in a prestigious national competition.
Frank eventually transitioned to jazz piano and earned his bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Connecticut. With one young child and another on the way, he realized that a career as a music arranger was not viable and moved his family to Boone, NC, where he earned a masters degree in counseling from Appalachian State College. After graduating, Frank worked in several academic positions, including at Nottingham Academy in Rising Sun, Maryland, where he was the Dean of Students. Frank began taking classes at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland, to earn a master’s in teaching. His unusual acumen, independent thinking, and passion for learning were noticed by Professor Kingsley Price, who encouraged him to instead apply to the PhD program in Educational Psychology. He was accepted and received numerous scholarships. He also continued to teach at collegiate institutions in the Baltimore area to help financially support his family, which now included 3 children. Frank’s dissertation, which he completed while a full-time professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, earned unanimous distinction from the doctoral review committee at Johns Hopkins University.
A gifted lecturer and analytical thinker, Frank spent 39 years as a professor at Ball State, where he was a member of the Department of Educational Psychology teaching students about the science of behavior and behavior change. He greatly admired BF Skinner who he met and conferred with on multiple occasions. Frank infused his lectures with content aimed to make Skinner’s work accessible and applicable to his audiences. He encouraged his students to think critically, and often mentored exceptional students as Kingsley Price had done for him. As director of the graduate program in Applied Behavior Analysis, Frank developed the curriculum and courses. According to the Cardinal Scholar, a Ball State publication, “Both graduate and undergraduate students find his knowledge and advice valuable and continue to rely on him after completing his courses, which are as timely today as ever.”
During his academic career, Frank published a multitude of articles and several books. His publications include "Preparing Better Teacher Made Tests", "Changing Behavior- A Practical Guide for Teachers and Parents", and “ABCs of Behavior Change”. In addition, Frank was a sought-after lecturer with Phi Delta Kappa, giving over 60 talks in this country and abroad. During his final years at Ball State, Frank took undergraduate students overseas to study at the London Centre and the Australia Centre.
Though he had switched to teaching as a career, Frank always retained his lifelong love of music. The sound of jazz piano always filled the air at family gatherings, and jazzy versions of Happy Birthday and Jingle Bells made for many fond memories. Other favorite renditions included “Alice in Wonderland”, “You Make Me Feel So Young”, “Take Five”, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, and various Beatles songs. He was a fan of Frank Sinatra and enjoyed hearing jazz at local venues. Remarkably, in his early 80’s, Frank began taking piano lessons to continue improving his technique.
While proud of his career and academic accomplishments, Frank was most proud of his family. He called his children and grandchildren “miracle of miracles” and always said that family comes first. He instilled in his children many values that would carry on his legacy for generations to come. He counseled that education provides freedom in life and urged his children to think for themselves, to courageously speak their minds, to support opinion with facts, and to act ethically and with integrity.
Frank cherished another love in his life- his wife Rosalie. Frank has often said he was drawn to her smile, her joyful laugh, and her optimistic outlook on life. They spent many years together, enjoying music, gardening, travel and a shared interest in behavior. In more recent years, they split their time between Indianapolis, IN, Annapolis, MD, and Naples, FL, where they made many friends. Frank loved to sit with Rosalie on their porch in Annapolis, talking, reading, watching the boats, looking for Click and Clack -- the resident geese -- and smoking a cigar during rainstorms.
The true measure of Frank's legacy is still developing. Each of his children graduated from college and several earned advanced degrees. His grandchildren too are striving to develop their special talents and gifts. Frank’s family will always remember his wonderful stories, told with cleverness, humor, and affection, his constant concern for their health, safety, and well- being, his unwavering support of our goals, and his admonition that it is best to judge others by their character and by how meaningfully they impact the world around them.
"The meaning of Life is to find your gift. The purpose of Life is to give it away".- Pablo Picasso
Frank naturally and passionately developed his gifts and left this world a better place. Even in death, he was passionate and giving.
Frank will be sorely missed but always in our hearts.
In accordance with Frank’s wishes, a funeral service will not be held. He will be interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Watertown, CT, in a family plot. A private Celebration of Life will be held in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Jude’s Children's Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html) or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org).