BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM – Whenever an earthquake shook the North Country, local media outlets immediately reached out to Frank A. Revetta.

An authority on earthquakes, Revetta passed away on Sunday, Sept. 15 at the age of 96.

Long-time editor of the Ogdensburg Journal James E. Reagan recalled the numerous times he and members of his news staff contacted Revetta when an earthquake hit.

“Frank was a tremendous resource and a friend of the North Country and the North Country media,” stated Reagan. “He was always willing to help educate us on what was happening by providing detailed information when an earthquake occurred.”

“Most people were aware of the St. Lawrence County history of earthquakes thanks to Frank. Frank’s loss is a great loss to all of us. I always appreciated his candor and how he made these episodes into teachable moments,” Reagen remarked. “He was always there for the public and the media.”

For 50 years, Frank was a faculty member of the Geology Department at SUNY Potsdam and for 50 years, teaching was his obsession. His presence at SUNY Potsdam was immense. He taught thousands of undergraduates, graduates, grade schoolers, retirees, and prisoners in earth science, geophysics, and astronomy. He gave countless planetarium shows to anyone who would listen and located groundwater for anyone who needed it. He did these things passionately and always for free. He ran and operated seismology stations across the North Country and became known locally as “the earthquake man.”

Revetta was born June 18, 1928 in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Monongahela High school in 1946 before working at Combustion Engineering Corp. On a whim, he took the college entrance exam and was accepted to the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1953 with a degree in Geology.

Always the absentminded scientist, Frank was drafted to the Army in 1954 after forgetting to register his draft card. He earned the rank of specialist first class as a laboratory technician and was stationed in Metz, France. Frank described his time in the military as, “the best years of my life” having spent two years touring Germany, Italy, and Spain. Following his discharge, he earned a master’s degree in geophysics at the University of Indiana and a PhD from the University of Rochester. He was the first of his family to hold a college degree, his obituary reads.

In 1959 he met Joann Affinito and was welcomed into her large and loving family. Joann would become the love of his life and the mother to his two daughters, Lisa (Ismail) Orabi and Mia (John) Wicke. For 63 years of marriage, Joann was a faithful homemaker, ardent supporter, and feisty sparring partner. Together they traveled thousands of miles by car, enjoyed countless mornings at McCarthy’s Restaurant, and thrived off their love for their grandchildren, Abrahim (Noha) and Ismail.

Frank was a man of immeasurable passions and hobbies. He loved running the country roads of Potsdam, hiking the Adirondack Mountains, and riding his bike to work. He took aerobics, karate, and yoga classes. He loved college football on Saturday, the New York Times on Sunday, and books every day of the week. He loved Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Harry Belafonte. He loved his back-porch and watching birds at the feeder. He loved sunsets on Cape Cod and the local taverns of Connecticut. He loved angel hair pasta and Gallo Hearty Burgundy wine. He was insatiably curious, he was a prolific academic, a kind man, a sincere man, a friend to anyone and everyone, and an unintentional comic force.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, September 20 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Garner Funeral Service in Potsdam. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, September 21 at 10 a.m.am at St. Mary’s Church in Potsdam. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to the Potsdam Rescue Squad (29 Elm St, Potsdam, NY 13676), St. Mary’s Church (20 Lawrence Ave, Potsdam, NY 13676), and the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org). Condolences for the Revetta family can be shared at www.garnerfh.com.