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B-2-THE PENNINSULA TIMES TRIBUNE, Wednesday, January 9, 1980

FULLER
Continued from B-1

tle.  Fuller's most noteworthy accomplishment was winning the Bendix Transcontinental Race in 1937 and again in 1939, flying from Burbank to Cleveland.  The first time he made it in 7 hours, 54 minutes; the second time he shaved 40 minutes from his record-breaking time.
On between his two winning races, he was beaten by a woman - and not just any woman.  The 1938 Bendix winner was Jacqueline Cochran, "so I don't feel so bad about it," Fuller added, with a meaningful look.
Fuller was not the only record holder in the family.  On a bet that it could not be done in under 21 hours, his brother, Dana, once rollerskated from the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco to San Jose.  His brother accomplished the feat in 12 hours.
The whole family, including Dana and Frank's sister Peggy, as well as some cousins, flew, and the family came to be known as the Flying Fullers, with Frank leading the way.  The man would would earn the nickname Speed Merchant of San Francisco learned to fly in 1931 at the Boeing School in Oakland, following up on a long-time urge.
Subsequently, the met and became fast friends with Doolittle.  The Army had just tested and approved the P-35 Seversky, and since it had been beat out of the competition of its day, Fuller wanted one of his own.  Doolittle helped him cajole Seversky into building him one.  The $35,0000 plane was the one Fuller flew in the Bendix races.
Another thrill for Fuller was being named ambassador for the San Francisco Exposition in 1939, flying blue and white invitations to each of the 11 Western states' governors.
"The idea was to get publicity," Fuller said, his eyes sparking with the remembrance.
His contribution to the war effort was as a test pilot for Douglas Aircraft Co., where he flew every plan the company made, including the A-20 light bomber.
Fuller set dozens of speed records and landed the first amphibious plane every on Donner Lake.  He repeated the same stunt on Crater Lake for a Hollywood movie and had hopes of meeting movie stars, according to a cousin.  Instead, he got ended up chatting with the mechanics.
In 1938 Fuller set a speed record from Los Angeles to San Francisco - one hour, seven minutes and seven seconds, a time the airlines have trouble beating today.
The following year, he cut the time by five minutes.  In 1939 he also set a record flying from San Francisco to Seattle in 2 hours, 31 minutes.
Fuller served on the board of directors and as an officer for the family paint company, W.P. Fuller & Co., which was sold in 1960 to Hunt Foods, he said.  The company changed hands again, when it was sold to Fuller O'Brien Co.
Through the years, Fuller has kept up his flying hobby and still hops in for trips hunting or fishing.  He often flew his amphibious Grumman Mallard to Lake Pillsbury for his sporting trips.
Fuller and his wife, Adrienne, belong to a flying club and still enjoy taking trips together.  On the day of his accident, he was flying from San Carlos to San Jose on business, when the engine of his two-month old apparently developed trouble.