Frank Kindel
In his lifetime, Frank Kindel was many things to many people. His personality was such that people gravitated toward him. He genuinely cared for Carlsbad and those who lived in it.
Frank was a daredevil and was never afraid to take up a challenge. He was always ready to try something new, but he was most remembered for his kindness and generosity toward his fellow man.
When not pursuing a successful business venture, Frank could be found diligently promoting Carlsbad. He was affectionately called a “Walking Chamber of Commerce for Carlsbad.” Every day you could find Frank in the town’s restaurants greeting tourists. If he left to go out of town, he’d always take brochures about Carlsbad and distributed them wherever he could. “He was the heart of Carlsbad, and friends with everyone,” Jed Howard is quoted as saying.
Frank died unexpectedly while flying a local minister to a town nearby for a Sunday morning service. On the way back to Carlsbad the plane crashed and burned. A memorial was built to Frank at the site of the plane crash near Queens, NM.
The photograph of him on his unicycle is typical of Frank; a joyful and adventuresome human being.
A wicker model of Frank Kindel
During his lifetime, the sight of Frank Kindel atop his unicycle was not uncommon throughout Carlsbad, NM.
Even in his 70’s, Frank Kindel would fly his single engine airplane every Sunday morning to deliver the newspaper to ranchers and other inhabitants of the remote Guadalupe Mountains.
(Left) Propeller from one of Frank Kindel’s aviation mishaps. This is not the propeller from Kindel’s fatal plane crash near Queen, NM. (Above) Frank Kindel’s famous unicycle which he rode in parades and other occasions in Carlsbad. He could be seen riding this unicycle well into his 60’s.