Fran Larkin
Author, Speaker, Life’s Cheerleader
By Kathleen Downey
Fran Larkin
Fran Larkin has dedicated his retirement years to helping others live full and successful lives. He lets his mantra,
“. . . make gentle the life of this world” (a quotation from the late Robert Kennedy), guide him in his selfless and spirited mission. I recently met with Larkin on a gray weekday afternoon at Café di Siena. He had alerted me through an email to be on the lookout for a tall, handsome guy; however, his next line of text made clear he was poking fun at himself and allowed that although he is, indeed, very tall, I shouldn’t be looking for a statuesque male model with a luxurious mane. But what Larkin might lack in locks, he triply makes up for in presence.
Entering through the café’s door with his IBM briefcase tucked under his arm, Larkin filled the space around him with his energetic force field. Gregarious and genuine, the bespectacled author, motivational speaker, former IBM corporate manager, and life’s cheerleader bent his fit 6-foot-plus frame into a window seat and graciously shared with me for the next hour his formula and philosophy for a happy life.
Larkin was most excited to talk about his book, “5 Words and Then Some . . . How to Succeed in This Big Game We Call Life,” that he wrote and published two years ago. “I lived all this!” he says of the life lessons he imparts through the slender but incisive and inspirational tome. The loquacious conversationalist then reveals the five simple and potentially life-changing words: “hard work,” “attitude,” “enthusiasm,” “perseverance,” and “fun.” Larkin’s firm belief that hard work is the only kind of work worth undertaking in the course of true self-pursuit melds the first of his five words into one —giving dispute to the word-count tally of six. Clearly, Larkin is not bothered by such picayune registers. He is far more interested in life’s chronicles, intent on discovering—and sharing—the wisdom that every story offers.
“5 Words . . . is full of hope, inspiration, and practical advice,” says Larkin. “I originally wrote the book to give to my nieces and nephews when they graduated from high school as a way of sharing what I had learned in the over 40 years since I graduated from high school.” But Larkin says he soon realized that the guidance he offers in his book “applies equally to everyone, regardless of his or her stage in life.” He shares that he rereads the chapter titled 
“Perseverance” whenever he needs a gentle pep talk.
When he speaks about the person to whom his book is dedicated, Larkin chokes up. Finding his voice, he states, “My mother implanted in me the five words long before I wrote the book.” Her inspiration, wisdom, and guidance are the soul of “5 Words . . .” After a moment of quiet, Larkin shares, “My mother died of Alzheimer’s in 2007.”
Not one to seek refuge in despair, Larkin has turned his personal grief to helping others impacted by the mentally debilitating disease. He’s become an advocate for those afflicted with Alzheimer’s and a champion for a cure. And he’s become a model of strength to others coping with the emotional trauma of watching this disease ravage their loved ones. “Alzheimer’s Lessons Learned” is a presentation that Larkin developed that shares his personal experience with the disease. His wish is to give others solace and see them persevere.
A strong sense of community-mindedness runs through Larkin’s life. “I want to take my intellectual capital of 35 years in the corporate world and give back,” he states. Though he’s only been in Newburyport a relatively short time (he and his wife Kathy moved to the Port from Connecticut in 2008), Larkin is committed to making a difference here by extending a helping hand to those in need. Through Pennies for Poverty, Larkin gives his assistance and his heart to the Newburyport-based charitable organization dedicated to eliminating poverty in the greater Newburyport area.
“I joined Pennies for Poverty after I walked into The Book Rack one day and noticed a [Pennies for Poverty] donation can on the counter,” he recalls. Today, Larkin serves on the board of directors. He is charged with raising community awareness and inspiring neighbors to help neighbors, so that no one in the community suffers from poverty. Larkin’s zeal for the charity’s mission to “. . . lessen the current effects of poverty and crisis while working simultaneously to eliminate the root causes of poverty and crisis in the future” is palpable. He explains the charity’s innovative concept of donating 2 cents a day, 2 cans of food a month to a soup kitchen, and volunteering 2 hours to achieving its goal. “In the past three years, we have raised $21,000 that we have given back to the community in the form of grants and also $21,000 worth of food (from food drives and donations) that we then give to the food pantries,” Larkin states, clearly pleased. Larkin pauses and says, “Pennies for Poverty has become one of my passions.”
Larkin’s greatest love, however, is Kathy, his wife of 40 years. “I won the lottery when I married her,” Larkin effuses. They met as college students at UMass Amherst. Larkin’s sister was their matchmaker. “My sister shared the same dorm with Kathy,” Larkin recalls. “One day she said to Kathy, ‘Hey, I know this tall, dark and handsome guy whom I think you’d like . . . but he isn’t available, so how’d you like to meet my brother?’” Larkin leans forward and laughs at the wisecrack made at his expense.
With his wife, Larkin has created what he considers his greatest legacy. Larkin places his hand lightly upon his chest and gently taps his heart. “There’s something very rewarding in having raised three wonderful kids,” he says, “each one instilled with strong values.” Larkin’s legacy continues with the birth of his granddaughter seven weeks ago. His eyes dance with a grandfather’s pride.
Presently, Larkin is busy writing his memoirs—and enjoying his very-active retirement in his new hometown as he makes gentle the life of this world.
Fran Larkin is happy to speak to audiences about “5 Words and Then Some”; The Emotional Side of Retirement; Alzheimer’s Lessons Learned; Reducing Poverty; and Visioning—How to Get Where You Want to Go. He’s also developed a presentation that details his own journey with Type 2 Diabetes, offering his support to others with this disease.
Contact Larkin through franlarkin@comcast.net. Read more about “5 Words . . .” at www.franlarkin.com. Larkin also writes a monthly “healthy living” blog for Anna Jaques Hospital: http://ajhkeepingscore.blogspot. And still more of Larkin’s ruminations can be found on his blog: http://franblarkin.blogspot.com.
Kathleen Downey is the Features Editor for Newburyport Today. If you are a townie or a citizen who would like to be profiled (or to suggest someone to profile), please email: Kathleen@Newburyport-Today.com.
