Frank Zakem is perhaps best-known to most Islanders as a long-time civic leader in Charlottetown, having served as city alderman and mayor, and in professional or volunteer capacities with numerous community groups. This tribute, however, focuses on Frank’s vigorous and vital involvement with the life and legacy of Saint Dunstan’s University, as well as the Island’s other institutions of higher learning: Prince of Wales College, Holland College, and UPEI.
Never a silent partner in anything he did, Frank took an active interest in SDU-funded projects at UPEI, and his wise and constructive counsel is recalled with affection and respect by all in the University with whom he came in contact. The well-earned honours bestowed on Frank by UPEI — he was recognized as a UPEI Founder in 2011 and awarded an honourary doctorate in 2013 — were tokens of true esteem and friendship from the University community. Here, as elsewhere, he is warmly remembered and sadly.