March 20, 2026. Frances Evelyn Altman died unexpectedly. She was 88 years old. Perry Hall, Maryland, lost a woman who had lived many lives within one lifetime. She was a journalist, a professor, an author, and for 15 years, the manager of an organization dedicated to hot dogs and sausages. That last part was not a joke. She took it seriously. She also made it fun.
Frances began her career in Chicago newsrooms. She worked for The Chicago Sun Times and the Arlington Herald. She wrote stories that informed readers and held power accountable. Colleagues say she had a sharp eye for errors and a sharper wit when correcting them. She did not suffer fools. But she was patient with young reporters who were still learning.
Then came the chapter that everyone remembers. She moved to Viscofan and took over the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. For 15 years, she promoted the cultural significance of foods that people love but rarely think about. She wrote press releases about July as National Hot Dog Month. She organized events celebrating the frankfurter. She spoke on television about the proper way to top a sausage.
Later, Frances moved to Richmond, Virginia, and joined the faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University. She taught writing and communication. Students remember her as demanding but fair. She returned papers covered in red ink, but she always wrote a private note at the end about what they had done well. She believed that criticism without encouragement was cruelty. She also believed that encouragement without honesty was useless.
She wrote books for children. Stories that taught without preaching. Tales that instilled a love for language in readers who were still learning to sound out words. Her family says she kept a box of letters from young readers who had written to tell her that her book was the first one they had ever finished on their own.
Frances leaves behind her family, her former students, and a long list of colleagues who will remember her as a woman who could discuss journalism ethics in the morning, sausage marketing in the afternoon, and children’s literature in the evening. She was not famous in the way that celebrities are famous. But she was known. And she was respected. And she will be missed.
