Class of 1940

Frank J. Penoza, P.E.

Founder, Owner of President of Pen Associates, Inc., Special Tool Mfg

Awarded eight U.S. Patents in engineering special tools

Paratrooper, U.S. Army Airborne, 1942

Inductee, Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame, 1997

Frank Joseph Penoza graduated from Royal Oak High School in 1940. While in high school, Frank played varsity football, baseball and basketball. He earned All League, All County and All State recognition. He was awarded the Morrison Trophy as the outstanding athlete in the class of 1940. His wife Marion was also a graduate of Royal Oak High.

During World War II Frank served with the 507th Paratroop Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. In 1952 he earned degrees in both mechanical and industrial engineering from Lawrence Institute of Technology. For the next 26 years Frank Penoza was employed by the General Electric and the DuPont Corporations. He held a professional engineering license in the state of Delaware, and was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International.

In 1981 he started his own business, Pen Associates. His firm designs and produces tools used in the manufacturing and procession of materials of high strength that cannot be machined using conventional tooling. He has at least eight U. S. patents for his special tools. Frank Penoza was working and was selling tools internationally until just before his death in May, 2011. Frank Penoza was inducted into the Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame in 1997.