Brenda Franklin has always been independent, taking an unconventional path… especially for a woman. She worked for many years in a civilian capacity for the U.S. Navy, a job that took her all the way to Australia and the Pentagon. Today, she loves talking with her fellow residents at Morning Pointe of Franklin, Tennessee, about her experiences and listening to theirs.
In the Shipyard
Raised in a “little bitty neighborhood,” in Richmond, Virginia, Brenda grew up where most of the citizens had some connection to the shipyards. She enrolled in college at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. “I went through and looked at everything you could major in,” she said, eliminating several options until she settled on economics. “Economics is all about building your assumptions correctly,” she added. “That appealed to me.”
Brenda graduated in 1972, not sure what direction to take her career. She decided to take the civil service test and see what she was eligible to do. Brenda became the supervisor of shipbuilding conversion and repair for the Navy. She was in quality assurance and would inspect vessels in development to ensure they were following all the specs correctly.
“We would inspect a submarine one day, and next door was an aircraft carrier,” Brenda remembered. “There were not many women involved.”
Up to this point, Brenda had not been very far from home. But opportunities to travel came up, and she boldly took them.
Australia
The F/A-18 was the latest and greatest aircraft in 1983, and the Royal Australian Air Force wanted to buy some. Brenda was offered a three-year assignment with the program management division to build an office from the ground up on the southern coast of Australia, south of Melbourne. She and one other volunteer set up shop in the RAAF’s leftover office space.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Brenda recalled about the cultural experience. She saw kangaroos everywhere and was surprised to learn that Australians had a different approach to dining out – they ate supper later in the day, and there was no hurry to exit a restaurant. She enjoyed a trip to a wildlife farm and saw several kookaburras (“It was interesting to see them come alive,” she said.). And being in the Southern Hemisphere had its novelties as well: “Christmas was usually celebrated at the beach,” she said. The Americans educated the locals about their own culture as well. “We did teach them about barbecue,” Brenda said.
After her third year was complete, she signed up for a second three-year tour. However, she was unable to complete that tour because her father got sick, and she had to come home to the United States.
New York, D.C., and Retirement
“I came back to Virginia looking for a job,” Brenda said. “The next place I went was Long Island – you could move from place to place working for Uncle Sam.” The rest of her working years saw her move several times.
Brenda did a stint for the Federal Aviation Administration training as an air traffic controller, and she even worked with the new construction team inspecting aircraft carriers, a job based at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. In fact, she remembers that the Pentagon, including her office, had just been renovated when terrorists flew a plane into the Naval Command Center portion of the building on Sept. 11, 2001. Thankfully, although she was in the building, she was not in the part that was hit. “We all thought, ‘What are we going to do now?’”
After 30 years of civilian service, Brenda retired. She moved into a retirement home in Central Tennessee and enjoyed living there until she had an odd accident. One night, she fell off of her high bed and broke both arms. When she left the hospital, she had a period of rehabilitation she had to go through. Her mother had been a resident at Morning Pointe before her passing at age 103, and so Brenda was familiar with the company and the level of care she could receive there. She knew after her fall that she needed more assistance than a retirement community could provide, and she joined the Morning Pointe of Franklin, Tennessee, Assisted Living, family.
“I couldn’t be much more comfortable,” Brenda said of her experience at the community so far. “It’s a lovely place. You feel safe and looked after.”
Besides the care, Brenda loves the socialization and life enrichment aspects of senior living. “Everybody you can imagine lives here. It’s a lot of fun just to talk to people. And there’s always something to do – movies, music acts, outings. Everybody has a good time.”
Evolving Adventures
Brenda Franklin’s journey is a testament to resilience, independence, and a life well-lived. From inspecting submarines and aircraft carriers to introducing barbecue to Australians, her experiences reflect a bold spirit and a willingness to embrace the unconventional. Now, at Morning Pointe of Franklin, Tennessee, Brenda continues to inspire those around her with her stories, wit, and warmth, proving that life’s adventures don’t end — they simply evolve.
