Remembering Frank Wesley Greenhaw

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A Memorial Service honoring Frank Greenhaw will be held on Sunday, June 9th, at 3:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 300 N. Galloway Avenue, Mesquite, Texas.

Frank Wesley Greenhaw

October 8, 1923 – June 5, 2013

frank-greenhawWith profound grief, we mourn the loss of Frank Wesley Greenhaw who died on Tuesday, June 5, 2013 at the age of 89 years old.

A true Renaissance Man of the 20th and 21st centuries, Frank Wesley Greenhaw, was a man of principle and integrity, and lived a remarkable life achieving top leadership positions in business, Christian lay ministry, education and music. In a seven-decade span of local, regional, national and international service, his accomplishments were extraordinary. Frank strongly believed that “no man is an island”, and he affirmed that all great achievements are a result of the collaboration of many. Frank was deeply admired, loved and respected by all who knew him.

EDUCATION: A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Frank received the Mustang “M” Award, the University’s highest honor for service; he was student-director of The SMU Mustang Band, the nation’s top college swing band, at the height of its pre-World War II popularity. He recently received the Garland High School Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012.

INDUSTRY: Frank was elected to his industry’s top leadership position as President of the National Retail Hardware Association in 1990. As chief executive of McWhorter-Greenhaw, the longest-running retail store in the history of Mesquite, Frank received recognition for his business leadership in 1995 when McWhorter-Greenhaw was awarded Baylor University Family Business of the Year. Frank pioneered one of the first musical instrument “rental purchase” trial plans for music students, and held some of the region’s first franchises in color television and other innovations of the era.

CHRISTIAN LAY MINISTRY: Frank served as Director of Music for First United Methodist Church of Mesquite, from 1956-1994. In 1969, Frank was elected Conference Lay Leader, the top lay leadership position in the United Methodist Church. Frank was the general chairman of the largest religious event in the history of Mesquite, Texas – the 1966 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Greater Mesquite Christian Crusade. Frank was elected Delegate by his peers to the United Methodist Church General Conference, World Conference and Jurisdictional Conference.

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Frank was the second-longest-serving President in the history of the Mesquite School Board of Trustees, and served as President of the Dallas County Association of School Boards. Frank was President and charter member of Mesquite Kiwanis Club, and an Honorary Member of the State of Texas House of Representatives. In 2008, the Greenhaw family, with Frank as patriarch, received a State of Texas Historical Marker commemorating the regional and national achievements of the Holley-McWhorter-Greenhaw Family of Mesquite.

MUSIC: Even in the September of his years, Frank actively toured as brass player with the Grammy Award-Winning Light Crust Doughboys. In 2003, his composition “OUR WEDDING SONG” was recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck, and released worldwide on the Universal Music record label. Frank attended 8 Grammy Award ceremonies as a special guest of the Recording Academy, and was an important artistic and technical contributor to the Grammy Award winning album produced by his son, Art Greenhaw, in 2003.

Selected Achievements and Recognition

  • Past Director of Music, Lakewood Methodist Church, Dallas
  • Co-developer of premiere residential Woodstream Estates in Mesquite
  • Commissioner, Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, Texas
  • Past Chairman and Director, Perkins Lay Advisory Council, Perkins School of Theology, SMU
  • Past Director, Texas Methodist Foundation
  • WHO’S WHO IN RELIGION, First Edition
  • Founding Committee Dallas County Community College District
  • Board of Directors, C.C. Young Retirement Community;
  • Band Director of Rockwall High School;
  • Band Director of Royse City High School;
  • Band and Choral Director of Mesquite High School
  • Composer of Royse City High School Song
  • Director: First Bank of Balch Springs, Gateway National Bank,
  • Director-Advisory Boards: Compass Bank, First Western National Bank
  • Director, Mesquite Chamber of Commerce
  • Director, Dallas County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Board
  • Choral Director, City of Mesquite Diamond Jubilee Celebration
  • Heritage Award, 2007, First United Methodist Church, Mesquite
  • Christian lay speaker and revival song leader from 1930s to present
  • Senior tennis champion winning numerous trophies 1960s-1970s;
  • SENIOR OF THE YEAR AWARD, BUSINESS, NYLCARE
  • Founding Elder, The Country Church
  • Recording engineer hobbyist in the 1940s and 1950s, pioneering remote recording sessions cutting his own record discs using portable equipment
  • Student Director of Garland High School Band his senior year
  • Co-composer of “Class of ’41 March”

 

Frank is survived by his wife of 64 years, Patricia McWhorter Greenhaw, son Art Greenhaw, and many friends and admirers.

 

 

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