The 8-Toed Octogenarian: One Man’s Journey Through the 20th Century

Every life has a story. Frank Morris, age 86, has many facets to his story, and reveals them with great candor and good humor.

As a child of the depression, his world was the tight Olney section of Philadelphia. But that changed suddenly on December 7, 1941, and Frank soon found himself 15,000 miles away in the jungles of northern Burma. His army unit was attached to the Chinese infantry. Here, he frequently served as bodyguard to General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, the U.S. theater Commander. In mid-March '44, a foxhole accident triggered a violent respiratory reaction and Frank lingered in a field hospital until he could be evacuated under oxygen. His weight fell to 98 pounds. He was returned to the states and given an honorable discharge. While working to regain his health and strength, Frank entered Penn's Wharton School under the G.I. Bill. He graduated in March '48 and three months later married Helen O'Neill, a former "Queen of Olney." Then 25, a veteran, a college grad and a recently married man, Frank asked himself, "Where do I....we....go from here?" "The 8-TOED OCTOGENARIAN" tells the rest of the story. And it's a good one.