Member
Spotlight:
Frank &
Donna Whiston
From the May 2003 Issue of Trail Tales
by Joan Wolf
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Frank Whiston’s four-wheeling resume is impressive:
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Frank and Donna Whiston rank among the most avid and “seasoned” four-wheelers around. Surprisingly, they joined NM4W a scant two years ago. After crossing paths with the group many times over the years, they decided to join up. Frank’s first exposure to the club was a 1996 parts/yard sale that he and son Frank G. attended. Another influence was meeting several club members at the 1999 Chile Challenge.
Frank bought his white 1971 Bronco from the original owner (his brother) in 1974. Says Donna, “He didn’t have it more than a day before he started cutting on it!” Today the Bronco features:
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1994 Mustang 5.0 liter HO (High Output) motor |
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C4 auto transmission with manual valve body and reverse pattern, gated shifter (Donna translated this to mean that it doesn’t have a clutch, but you still have to shift it.) |
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3.8 Atlas transfer case |
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9” rear differential with 4.10 gears and Warn full-floater kit |
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Ramsey 9000 winch |
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BFG KM 255x85x16 tires |
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Detroit locker |
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Dana 44 front end with Warn HD axles and Triple D locker. A point of pride, Frank notes “The Triple D locker has been in there since the mid-1970s and still works. The company is out-of-business and many have not even heard of Triple D”. For more detail, check out Frank’s page on the club member’s section of the club web site at www.nm4w.org/members/whiston/whiston.htm |
Before retiring after 34 years of service, Frank was a machinist, manufacturing engineer, and mechanical designer at Sandia National Labs. His mechanical aptitude and work background have come in handy. He’s built bumpers, rocker panels from 2x3 tubing, and parts of the 6-point cage for the Bronco. Not everything has been a success or lasted. He and Frank Gene experimented with a video camera, mounted on a bar--just because they hadn’t seen it done. They figured out how to mount and stabilize the video camera and got some neat video. But it was a chore to position and maintain and was later dismantled.
For city “Jeeping”, the Whistons have a 2001 TJ and a 1999 Expedition. The TJ is modified with a Tomken shorty front bumper and 9000 Ramsey platinum winch. Why mount a heavy-duty winch on the city TJ? Says Frank, “We bought one winch and then won one at All-For-Fun.” Mr. Lucky has also won a set of tires at All-For-Fun.
Frank and Donna have participated in All-For-Fun for 29 consecutive years. Sponsored by the Colorado Association of 4WD Clubs and held in the Colorado mountains every year, Frank thinks it started 37 years ago. He notes, “Frank G., our youngest, is 29 years old and he’s been to 28 All-For-Funs. We didn’t go his first year.”
Favorite trail? The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It was their first and remains their favorite trip. They’ve also hiked many areas along the trail including the Joint Trail which features a 200-foot high X 18-inch wide crevasse, “an eerie place in the event of a sudden shower”, warns Donna.
Why join the NW4W? Frank likes the security of going out with others on the difficult trails, the social aspects, and the opportunity to see new places. Frank says his current priority is travel so he won’t commit to holding a club office. He recalls devoting a lot of free time to the Albuquerque Off-Road Club, often leading two trips per month and scouting on the other two weekends.
What was the local four-wheeling like in the 1970’s and ‘80’s? Frank remembers playing hide ‘n seek (at night!) east of Tramway. There were many trails and arroyos in which to hide their vehicles. They also did night runs on BLM land northwest of Hwy 550/528 outside Bernalillo.
The Whistons spent much of the past year traveling in their 33-foot diesel-powered motor home. When Frank retired two years ago he vowed, “My job now is to have fun.”
Donna still does part-time bookkeeping for an alterations shop and helps put on a Christmas crafts fair. She was a stay-at-home mom for four children and a stay-at-home Grandma for two grandchildren. Born in Monte Vista, CO, Donna moved to Albuquerque 47 years ago. Frank was born in Pennsylvania and moved with his family to Albuquerque 46 years ago.
The Whistons stay involved with their four offspring and their families: Daughter Karen and two children in Albuquerque, Robert and Sherree and granddaughter April of Albuquerque, daughter Lynda of Irving TX, and Frank Gene and spouse Beth of Albuquerque. Frank noted, “All of our children have 4WD vehicles, but Frank G. (who attended the recent Monticello Canyon run) is probably the closest to hard-core. The others really don’t know the extent of what we do.”
Frank wants to continue Jeeping and maybe rejuvenate his long-standing interest in motorcycle trail riding. Just what he needs—something else for the resume!
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