2026 Alumni Honors: Jeff Frane, ’84
“Captain!”
That’s how members of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity address Jeff Frane, ’84, a FedEx Express Boeing 757/767 captain and standards check airman, and president of the UND chapter’s house corporation.
But, Jeff said, the nickname has nothing to do with his airline career.
“It started when I was stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base and promoted to Air Force captain,” he said. “After that, all the kids called me Captain.”
Eyes on the Sky
Jeff always knew he wanted to fly. “I have a crayon picture of an airplane, and in my 6-year-old writing, it says, ‘I want to be a pilot.’”
Years later, Jeff enrolled at UND, where he double majored in Aerospace Studies and Geography. He soloed during his first semester and joined Kappa Sigma as a junior.
With airline hiring slow after graduation, Jeff joined the Air Force. After officer training school, he received his first assignment at Grand Forks Air Force Base. “I went to see the world, and I ended up right back here,” he said.
During a distinguished Air Force career, Jeff served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, commanded a six-aircraft C-12F unit, and later became chief of training for the 85th Flying Training Squadron at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas.
Jeff Frane is a senior instructor for FedEx's Asia network.
FedEx for the Future
Today, Jeff serves as a senior instructor for FedEx’s Asia network, training and evaluating pilots who fly South American, Asian, and transoceanic routes.
“A select number of captains can interview and become check airmen, who train new pilots,” he explained. “The next level is to become a standards captain, a role with greater responsibilities that includes conducting evaluations on behalf of the FAA.” Jeff has served in the latter role for the past eight years.
“I just renewed my Global Entry application,” he said. “One question was, ‘What countries have you visited since 2021?’ I ran out of space.”
The flight training I received at UND gave me a huge leg up in military flight school.Jeff Frane
UND Forever
Jeff credits UND with helping prepare him for his Air Force career.
“The flight training I received at UND gave me a huge leg up in military flight school,” he said. “I already knew the basics, so I could concentrate on the bigger picture.”
He has tried to provide similar support and guidance to UND students.
Jeff first served as Kappa Sigma advisor in 1990 while stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base. After returning to Grand Forks in 2012, he resumed his involvement. “I’ve spent almost 20 years working with students,” he said.
Jeff spent much of his summer vacation helping remodel the fraternity house in preparation for Kappa Sigma’s 100th anniversary on the UND campus.
He was surprised that it was not a Kappa Sigma who nominated him for the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement & Leadership. Instead, he had made an impression on a UND flight instructor who had watched him mentor many Kappa Sigmas and aviation students over the years.
“I don’t feel deserving of this award,” Jeff said. “I’m so honored.”
For someone who has spent decades investing in students, perhaps the recognition shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Many current and former students still know him by the same title they’ve used for years: Captain.
