Born in McDowell County, Frank Wingfield graduated from West Virginia State in 1935 as the highest ranking student of his class. After teaching at Bolling High School, he returned to McDowell County where he became the Assistant Superintendent for the McDowell County Board of Education. Later in life, Frank returned to Lewisburg, where he was a founding member of the Lewisburg Foundation and a member of the Lewisburg County Council Human Rights Commission.