Avenue of Heroes: Frank Nicholas Androski

Prepared by: The Androski Family

Frank Androski was born in August 1934 in Boston, Massachusetts to middle-class parents who supported his love of flying. He met his beautiful wife, Rita, at a stoplight on the way to Revere Beach. Together, they were blessed with four children and enjoyed more than 60 years of marriage.

Androski attended Boston College for two years before enlisting in the U.S. Navy flight program in 1954. He earned his Naval Aviator Wings of Gold in 1956 and was commissioned as an ensign. He was assigned to VS-33, flying S-2 anti-submarine aircraft at Naval Air Station Quonset Point. From 1961 to 1963, he attended the Naval Postgraduate School, earning a degree in naval science and electrical engineering.

His career continued at VS-33 on NAS North Island, where he completed 687 carrier landings, two nine-month cruises to Vietnam, and provided support to SEAL Team 6. Androski served as the USS Saratoga’s nuclear weapons custodian, USS Kittyhawk’s air boss, and commanded North Island’s VS-37 in 1973 and 1974. During his command tour, the squadron earned the Battle E and won the Arnold Jay Isbell Trophy for airborne anti-submarine excellence.

Captain Androski is a graduate of the National War College and earned another master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University. He served on the high-level Inter-American Defense Board and participated in technical discussions with the Russian Navy on near midair collisions.

After more than 26 years of honorable naval service, Androski retired in 1980 from a key Political Military Plans and Policy billet in the Pentagon working under Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale. Androski then embarked on a distinguished 20-year career in the defense industry, holding executive roles at companies including Cubic Corporation, Wespercorp, Ball Systems, Science Applications International Corporation, and other leading defense contractors. Androski oversaw support to the PHALANX weapons system, C-17A aircraft, Minuteman III missile system, and enhanced the Federal Aviation Administration’s flight data system. Finally, Androski was Operations Manager for the SPAWAR Systems Center from 2004 to 2008 delivering critical electronic equipment to the Navy.

As he has since 1964, Androski lives in and meticulously maintains his historic 1936 Coronado home, designed by renowned California architect Cliff May.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 277 hometown heroes to date. On November 2, 2024, another 16 were honored. City staff and volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and Third and Fourth  Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

In 2011, the program was inspired spontaneously with the movement of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. News spread quickly and the local Rotary Club passed out American flags. People lined Fourth Street to honor the fallen service members. As the procession approached the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting as he waited for the passage of his comrades. That moment made clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That spontaneous beginning launched the program in May 2015 with 18 banners. The Avenue of Heroes is a reminder that Coronado has a rich history and legacy of service to the country.