Review
"Nobody is more informed than Frank on the issues facing the Truckee Meadows. His insights/advice should be carefully considered." --
Eric Herzik, political science professor, University of Nevada, RenoIf any single individual can explain the complex interplay of issues, policies, entities and personalities involved, he's the one." --
Reno Mayor Jeff GriffinMinor Kelso, longtime Reno businessman: "Much of what Frank writes should be the conscience of this community." --
Minor Kelso
About the Author
Partlow's analytical skills were honed at highest levels of U.S. military planning
Born in San Francisco, Frank A. Partlow Jr. grew up as an Army brat on U.S. bases around the world, and ended up pursuing a military career like his father, a retired colonel. Partlow Jr. graduated from Orleans American High School in Orleans, France, in 1956, and from the U.S. Military Academy in 1960. His formal education didn't end there; while he moved up the Army ranks to brigadier general, Partlow earned a master's degree from Stanford University in 1964 and graduated from the National Defense University in 1979. He also was a senior fellow at Harvard University 1982-83.
Over his 34-year military career, Partlow performed a great deal of work as an information gatherer and analyst, including representing the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the U.S. negotiating team that reached the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty with the Soviet Union in 1987. Later, he served in the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency as director of estimates, responsible for providing the president, his cabinet and defense officials with international long-range forecasts.
A legal resident of Nevada since 1964, Partlow and his wife, Kay, settled permanently in Reno in 1990, following his retirement from the Army. "We loved the friendliness of the people, the proximity to California and the whole range of professional and cultural opportunities," Partlow says. "The Army had dictated where we lived, but the first time Kay and I had a chance to pick the place we wanted to live, we chose Reno."
Since 1991, Partlow has served as executive director of the Northern Nevada Network, providing a monthly newsletter and reports on local governmental decision-making and public policy issues to a list of clients spanning the spectrum of the region's business community. Since 1991, Partlow also has penned a biweekly newspaper column - first for the Lahontan Valley News/Fallon Eagle Standard; and since 1995, for the Reno Gazette-Journal - addressing local issues and governmental actions.
Observation Point: An Outsider's Look Inside Northern Nevada, is Partlow's first book.
The Partlows have two married daughters and four grandchildren.
