CIVIC WATCH : Mountain Climber

Frank G. Wells, one admirer said, “climbed mountains even when he wasn’t climbing mountains.”

It was just one of many superlatives used in paying tribute to the president and chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co., killed Sunday in a helicopter crash. He had been on a skiing expedition--one of the many adventuresome pursuits he enjoyed. An avid outdoorsman, Wells, 62, and two others were killed during a trip to the remote, rugged mountains of northeast Nevada.

Wells’ business record speaks for itself. Along with Disney Chairman Michael D. Eisner--whom he recommended for that job--Wells turned the Disney Co. around in less than a decade. A prime candidate for corporate takeover and valued at roughly $2 billion in 1984 when Wells arrived, the company was valued at $22 billion by 1992. Throughout his successes, Wells never tarnished a reputation for adhering to the highest ethical standards of business.

Less known, but no less important, were his civic works--Wells’ support of environmentalism and fund-raising on behalf of the arts and education.

Then there were the impressive personal achievements. Graduate of Pomona College and Stanford Law School. Rhodes Scholar. Mountain climber who scaled the highest mountain on each of the seven continents--save only Mt. Everest--writing about his quest in a book, “Seven Summits.”

In losing Frank Wells, this community will miss not just an important business leader but an important civic leader.