Robert M. Frank, III ’88 was honored with the University of Maine Alumni Association’s 2025 Black Bear Award during a reception dinner following the Association’s 150th Anniversary Celebration.
Presented annually, the Black Bear Award recognizes “devotion and loyalty to the highest traditions of the University of Maine.” It is given in appreciation of continuous, outstanding advocacy that enhances UMaine’s reputation and public appreciation in academics, athletics, the arts, and alumni success.
An engineering graduate, Frank has dedicated decades of professional expertise and volunteer service to the University and its community. He served on the UMaine Alumni Board from 2015 to 2023, concluding his final term as Board Chair, and held an ex-officio role on the UMaine Board of Visitors. He has also contributed more than 30 years of service to the College of Engineering Advisory Board and its Civil Engineering Association. Beyond the University, Frank has taken on numerous leadership roles in his community, including service on the RSU 22 School Board and Budget Committee, the local YMCA, Red Cross, and the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.
“Earning a degree in Engineering at UMaine and then being able to regularly hire UMaine graduates at a firm that designed many of the buildings they frequented while students has been an honor,” says Frank, Senior Principal and Board Chair of WBRC Inc., an architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Bangor.
Together with his wife Michelle, Frank is an active member of several of UMaine’s giving societies. His firm’s Lakewood Ranch, Florida office has been an annual sponsor of the Black Bear Road Trip and the Red Sox Spring Training Alumni Gathering in Fort Myers—an event that has become the largest UMaine alumni gathering outside the state.
Frank has also played a pivotal role in shaping UMaine’s leadership, serving on search committees for the University President, the Dean of the College of Engineering, and the Alumni Association President. Reflecting on the appointment of Dr. Giovanna Guidoboni as Dean of Engineering, Frank shared, “She struck me as completely in tune with what it means to be part of UMaine’s culture. She hoped all students attending UMaine would come to find their spark.”
For Frank, giving back to UMaine has been both personal and professional. His daughter and son are continuing the Black Bear legacy as current and future UMaine students. “The intersection between education, engagement, and giving back to UMaine becomes a natural,” he reflects.
