Dale grew up in a family of carpenters. His maternal grandfather, Joseph J. Grubbs, was a master carpenter. In some of Dale’s earliest memories, he visited a job site where his grandfather was working in Amarillo, Texas, building a house. In those days, no power tools were available. His grandfather hand cut wood with a saw to frame the house and nailed structural members in place with a hammer.
His father, R. L. Franks, was also a master carpenter who became a licensed general contractor in New Mexico. Much of Dale’s knowledge of construction was taught to him by his father. Dale began helping on his father’s job sites at the age of 11 or 12 mixing mortar and doing odd jobs.
Although he never became a master carpenter, Dale learned about general contracting from his father and carried those skills through his lifetime.