Graduating from the Naval Academy in 1954, Wayne Frye was on the winning eight at the Olympic Games, three IRA Regattas, and two Eastern Sprints. Unlike many U.S. Naval Academy rowers, he went on to win other titles after graduation, taking national titles in both the association single sculls and the quad sculls while rowing for the Potomac BC. Frye became a career officer in the US Air Force, but also earned a masters’ degree at MIT. During the Vietnam War, he flew 266 combat missions, earning two Silver Stars, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 15 Air Medals, and the Purple Heart.
Frye retired from the Air Force as a colonel after 22 years and went into aerospace management. He later worked for Sunstrand, Continental Airline, Leach Corp, and taught at the Maysville Community College. He was inducted into the US Naval Aviation Hall of Fame in 2012.
United States