Deceased March 9, 2017
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In Memory
John’s obituary is posted on the college In Memory site, which we commend to you. This brief memorial complements the Madison, Wis., tributes to his achievements and generosity with specifics from classmates
How did John Frautschi get to Amherst? Many Amherst students were legacies and in pipelines to campus. For others the key was Admissions Dean Bill Wilson. John came aboard from a Colorado Springs prep noted for snow skiing and from a family of iconic Wisconsin grads, e.g. president of the alumni. Yet Wilson was able to sell John on Amherst’s providing a reach beyond existing positions.
John was especially devoted to STEM studies, sailing, skiing and Theta Delt. From Amherst, John headed for a B.S. at Carnegie Tech, foremost in graphics and printing.
Conscripted by the army, he was sent to Ft. Belvoir to apply his knowledge to formidable printing requirements in the military. With such a diverse background, John started with the Democrat Press, turning out statehouse jobs. In that era of growth and rapid technical innovation in print, John made significant and repeated adaptations.
His company was renamed Webcrafters to brand the new technology applied. The product line went national in quantity and quality of text books, with supplements. As publishers and politicians inked adoptions for school systems, many turned to Webcrafters to print and bind text packages; your Amherst kin may have used these colorful texts in their own studies.
John’s employees, who had generous pay packages, revered him. His devoted brother Jerry managed a key investment, his wife’s smash hit, American Girl. This educational hallmark few Amherst homes lack.
John’s marriage and family were made in heaven and his son Kip ’85 is an able Amherst grad. John could not escape adversities, especially as his dear copilot Mary succumbed to cancer too early.
John Kirkpatrick ’51
Dick Sexton ’51
Charlie Tritschler ’51