Frank Amparano, El Casino Ballroom president, remembered for dedication to community

Frank Amparano dedicated his life to giving back to his community.

As the longtime president of the Latin American Social Club/El Casino Ballroom and coach of Tucson youth sports, 75-year-old Frank didn’t show any signs of slowing down.

“He steered the ship for everybody,” said Fred Martinez, manager of the El Casino Ballroom and one of Frank’s best friends. “They would say ‘What do we do, coach?’ He just had that way and that’s why we followed him. He never backed down to anything, no matter how big the challenge was.”

But on Thanksgiving Day, Frank was admitted to the hospital for severe shortness of breath. He died from COVID-19 related complications Dec. 15, one day before his 76th birthday.

“To see him here one day, he’s happy and drinking beer, and then a month later he’s gone,” said Vicente Amparano, Frank’s older brother. “It’s just unreal.”

As they mourn the loss of their loved one, Frank’s family reflected on the legacy he built in the Tucson community.

“I think it was just in his blood,” said Sylvia Amparano, his wife. “Helping people was a big part of who he was.”

Frank was born Dec. 16, 1944, in Tiger, Arizona, but was raised in the historic Barrio Hollywood neighborhood on Tucson’s west side. He graduated from Tucson High School in 1963. He retired in 2007 from the city of Tucson, where he worked as a painter for many years.

Frank became the president of the Latin American Social Club in 1993 and was instrumental in rebuilding Tucson’s historic El Casino Ballroom after a windstorm destroyed its roof in 1991. Since 1947, the ballroom has served as a gathering place for local Hispanic families.

Over the years, the ballroom has held thousands of events for community members, including quinceañeras, weddings and mariachi performances. For their annual Christmas party, which could not take place in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Latin American Social Club organizes a community fundraiser at the ballroom where they provide food, stockings and gifts to low-income residents. Every Sunday, they would also donate the ballroom at no charge so people could host funerals or fundraisers.

In a west-side corner of the ballroom, Vicente said he and Frank would gather with their friends to talk and drink beer. They called it the “Uno Mas” corner, or “One More.”

“If it wasn’t for people like Frank, the ballroom would not be here today,” Martinez said. “He would volunteer here everyday after work. He practically lived here. That’s why this place was reopened.”

Out of everything he did, however, Frank’s family said what he was most proud of was coaching youth sports. Frank became an umpire in 1977 and would go on to referee countless softball and football games, including at the state level. In the early ’80s, Frank started coaching youth softball, starting with his daughter Rebecca’s El Rio Bobby Sox team.

He went on to coach and mentor dozens of girls for close to 20 years and formed the Tucson Angels and Tucson Blaze, which competed in the Amatuer Softball Association league. Many of his players went on to receive college scholarships through softball and one made it to the USA Softball Olympic team.

“Frank did a lot in this community, but that was one of his proudest achievements that all of these girls got their education paid for through softball,” said Martinez, who also coached alongside Frank.

Even in his last days, Frank’s daily life was filled with acts of service for his family, friends and community.

“He was always here doing something. If he wasn’t here, he was at someone’s house helping them with something, or going to a game or golfing,” Martinez said. “That’s why it’s so unreal.”

“We’re a wreck,” Sylvia said. “My granddaughter was over the other morning and she was just crying. It hurts. It’s hard to believe that he’s gone.”

Once gatherings are allowed again, Frank’s family said they hope to hold a party in his honor at the El Casino Ballroom to celebrate his life, his dedication to the community and the legacy that he leaves behind.

“The most important thing to him was a family, his friends and the community,” they said. “And he embraced it.”