WHAT: Brown Bag Lecture Series
HOSTED BY: UNK Department of History and G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture
TITLE: “The New Metropolitan Order of Things: Frank Business Failures in Kearney”
TOPIC: The namesake of the Frank Museum, George W. Frank, has long been regarded as part of the vanguard of Kearney’s economic development in the late 19th century. Despite his purported success, he and his family perplexingly left the city just over a decade after they arrived. Although some of the Frank businesses did contribute to Kearney’s development, new research has revealed that Frank was not the capable businessman he has been portrayed as. His corporate connections and struggles following the Panic of 1893 explain the family’s departure while also revealing the forgotten history of Kearney’s early years.
PRESENTER: A Nebraska native, Delaney Tracy earned a bachelor’s degree in history from UNK in 2025. She’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in history from UNK while working as a graduate assistant. Most of her free time is consumed by her recently adopted blue heeler, Freedom, and her collection of historical memorabilia.
TIME: Noon
DATE: Wednesday, Aug. 12
PLACE: Kearney Public Library, 2020 First Ave.
VIDEO: Available on the Kearney Public Library YouTube channel
CONTACT: Nathan Tye, associate history professor, 308.865.8860, tyen@unk.edu