17 Frank Etscorn

Frank Etscorn was born Frank Talbert Etscorn, Jr. on February 23, 1921, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Frank Talbert Etscorn, Sr. and Lavenia E. LeGrande Etscorn.  He was a notable basketball player for the University of Kentucky in the early 1940s.  His father, Frank Etscorn, Sr., better known as “Buddy” Etscorn, cut quite a figure in Louisville sandlot baseball up until 1939, when he retired from active participation in the game. As a catcher, he even held down the first string job on the Birmingham Baron club of the Southern Association in 1925, batting .301, and only a lame arm kept him’ from going up the ladder.

Etscorn grew up in Valley Station, Kentucky, and attended Valley High School, where he began to showcase his athletic talents. A member of The Courier-Journal All-State basketball team
of 1938-39, Etscorn, earned four letters in the sport at Medora and Valley High Schools. He made the all-district team three years and the all-regional in 1939, being honored with the captaincy.  Etscorn also earned two letters at Valley on the gridiron, playing quarterback. He was honorable mention on the All-State team in 1938.  He held the State record for the 50-meter swim, being a member of the Y.M.C.A. team. And if that’s not enough, he advanced to the final of The Courier-Journal Golden Glove Boxing Tournament in 1936, as a lightweight.

He later enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he continued to develop his skills in basketball.

During his time at the University of Kentucky, Etscorn played as a forward for the Wildcats. Etscorn played a total of 8 games for the Wildcats from 1940 to 1942, scoring a total of 13 points.

He was also a member of Kentucky’s swim team and a member of Sigma Nu, a national social fraternity.

Etscorn married Mary Lewis Boaz, of Franklin, Kentucky, on March 25, 1942 in Valley Station, Kentucky.

Etscorn was ordered to report to the Army Air Corps base in San Antonio, Texas on January 2, 1943. Etscorn received his “Wings” and was commissioned a second lieuténant at Blackland Army Air Field, Waco, Texas on Wednesday, November 3, 1943.

Following his military service, Etscorn returned to Kentucky and settled in Franklin, his wife’s hometown before retiring in Florida.

Etscorn moved to Orlando from Fort Lauderdale in 1973. He was a retired sales representative in the manufacturing industry and was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church, Orlando. He was a member of Bay Hill Country Club.

His son, Dr. Frank Etscorn III, invented the Habitrol nicotine patch, designed to help people quit smoking.

Etscorn passed away on November 2, 1986, in Orlando, Florida at the age of 65.