Frank A. Gunther, Jr.

Frank Gunther has long been considered a father figure to the National Aquarium. Baltimore City Mayor William Schaefer selected him as founding chairman of the Board of Directors—a role he held from 1977 to 1983, supervising the Aquarium’s construction phase and its first years of operation. In 1983, Frank was elected the first chairman of the National Aquarium Foundation, Inc., ensuring the stewardship of the endowment program and the organization’s financial stability. He served on the advisory board between 1986 and 1989, and served two terms on the board of governors between 1989 and 1995. Frank chaired the Board between 1991 and 1994, and was named director emeritus in 2000. Frank has been a valuable member of the building, corporate gifts, long-range planning and development committees. He has also served on the boards of the Walters Art Gallery, Enoch Pratt Free Library, College of Notre Dame of Maryland and United Way of Central Maryland. Frank resides in Ocean City, Maryland, with his wife, Mary Ellen. He’s the proud father of eight children.