West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections
Director Stephen L. Enders

800 E. Overland
Suite 100
El Paso, Texas 79901
Phone (915) 546-8120
Fax (915) 546-8130
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West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department

  • Frank Lozito Remembered
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  • FRANK LOZITO
  • by Lenore Harris Hughes
  • El Paso Inc. staff writer
  • 12/10/2000
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  • Parole officer, Korean War veteran, university professor, appointed as El Paso County's first chief probation officer, passed away Oct. 27, 2000 at age 70.
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  • Frank was born Jan. 23, 1930, in the Bronx of New York City. He had two brothers and one sister. Frank's brother Vincent remembers those early days.
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  • "Living in the Italian sector of New York City was tough in those days," he said. "Our father was born in Italy (Sicily) and came to the U.S. in 1900. I distinctly remember his saying that the name Lozito is on the Memorial Wall of Ellis Island. I am 9 years older than Frank. I helped him get into the Army in 1948. He buckled down and put his shoulder to the wheel, so to speak, and came out on top."
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  • Frank was sent to Japan where he met Shirly Kitazawa. Frank's son Michael told the story.
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  • "My mother's family had to leave Japan," Michael said. "Seven daughters and one son were herded out like cattle and sent to Manchuria. My Dad, being very giving, helped the family leave."
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  • Frank and Shirly were married in 1951 in Sagamiliara, Japan. In the summer of 1952 Frank sent his wife and little son Mike back to Fresno, Calif., to stay with his folks while he went to Korea as a member of the infantry.
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  • While in the Army, he became a black belt in karate and an instructor. He was discharged from the Army in 1968, went back to school and obtained his bachelor's degree in 1969, then was accepted as a parole officer in Lubbock. He was transferred to El Paso in 1970 and asked by El Paso County commissioners to create a probation department from scratch. He was also asked to create the first court Residential Treatment Program, which continues to house probationers and teach them life skills.
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  • County Commissioner Charles Hooten says: "Violent criminals were not qualified to become probationers, but so many others have had their lives turned around under Frank's direction. When the new jail was built in 1983 it became overpopulated in a year's time. That's when we started the Jail Population Review Board with Dr. Joe Graves, a professor in the political science department at UTEP, as volunteer chairman. As a probation officer, Frank was a stalwart member of the committee, which met once a month. The jail population was reduced from 1,400 to 700 largely through Frank's efforts."
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  • El Paso County Sheriff Leo Samaniego made further comment: "At first Frank was a member of the police department. Most policemen don't agree on the matter of probation, but he kept fighting for it, showing how much better it was to have a man out of jail and working instead of clogging the system and costing the taxpayers money. We respected Frank. He was a strong individual and straight forward."
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  • Frank had separated from his wife Shirly. He decided to attend a New Year's Eve party on Dec. 31, 1979. During the course of the evening he looked across the table and "instant sparks" formed with a lady sitting opposite.
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  • She was Rosemarie Berg, born in Germany, who had decided to bring her three children to the United States. It was 10 years before Frank and Rosemarie were married, Nov. 6, 1989.
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  • Frank's many activities included establishing a department in Mazatlan, Mexico, where he befriended local law enforcement authorities; acting as a consultant for the Mexican prison system; establishing an international exchange program with Germany; co-authoring articles for national publications; and serving on boards of directors including West Texas Council of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. He was a member of the Civil Service Commission. He served as a volunteer to Beaumont Army Medical Center and was a member of the Italian American Cultural Society of El Paso.
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  • Daughter Kathrin Berg, who works for the American Cancer Society said, "Frank retired as chief probation officer in 1990 and ran for a seat in the state senate. My mother passed away in 1994. The fact that both my mother Rosemarie and stepfather were diagnosed with cancer and both succumbed to the disease, caused me to make it my life's passion to care for people with cancer and perhaps someday to help find a cure."
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  • Funeral mass was held at Fort Bliss Chapel No. 2 with interment in Fort Bliss National Cemetery.