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The envelopes arrived regularly over the years, often containing hand-written notes or typewriter-produced athletic news. It was an example of Bob Fredericks being Bob Fredericks.
This was a man who kept the post office busy with outgoing mail destined for friends, family members and other contacts around Kitsap County. If there was something important happening with sports, chances are Fredericks knew about it — or had a hand in making it happen.
“His true joy was the local sports scene,” Karen Fredericks, his daughter-in-law, said Tuesday. “It was the center of his life, truly. Everybody knew sports was Bob’s passion.”
Bob Fredericks died early Sunday morning at the age of 95 at his longtime Tracyton home following a brief illness. Fredericks, whose wife Jane died in 2017, is survived by his daughter Valerie Moeller (George); daughter Janet Long (George) and son Jon Fredericks (Karen); as well as six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The family said a public celebration of life will be scheduled and announced.
Those who knew Fredericks, a 1947 Bremerton High School graduate, understood how much of a champion he became for his hometown and surrounding areas. He earned the nickname "Sports King of Kitsap" by longtime Kitsap Sun reporter Terry Mosher, who died in December after authoring numerous stories on Fredericks during his career.
"He was a classic promoter," added former Kitsap Sun sports editor Chuck Stark. "He could have had another life somewhere, doing big-time stuff. He was always just promoting local athletes."
Fredericks, who worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 38 years as an engineer, spent most of his life figuring out how to get things done.
As a senior and ASB president at Bremerton High School in 1946-47, Fredericks spearheaded a fundraising drive to help build Memorial Stadium. It's almost the stuff of legend as Fredericks convinced a skeptical school board to match any funds raised by students for the project. He eventually showed up at a meeting with nearly $40,000 in donations.
“I was a subtle promoter all my life," Fredericks told the Kitsap Sun in 2013. "It started my senior year in high school when we built the football field. I worked day and night to get it built."
A basketball player and track and field athlete in high school, Fredericks became an accomplished tennis player at Olympic College. It was a sport played by his father Fritz and brother Bill. Fredericks later joined a small group of men in forming the Bremerton Tennis & Athletic Club (now the Kitsap Tennis & Athletic Club). For years he helped organize all manner tennis and racquetball tournaments at the venue, which opened in 1970.
One of Fredericks' biggest disappointments was coming this close to getting professional tennis Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg to come to Bremerton for a demonstration in front of 2,000 students. A teacher strike nixed those plans late in the process.
Fredericks served on the Kitsap YMCA board for 12 years and he was a regular at Kitsap Athletic Roundtable gatherings. He earned the first-ever Rex Brown Distinguished Service Award, which is annually handed out by the KAR to a member of the community who goes above and beyond while promoting and working in athletics in the Kitsap area.
Stark believes the KAR, which held its most recent hall of fame ceremony in February, is still around today because of Fredericks' efforts.
“He kept it going," Stark said. "There were times that thing probably would have died. He wasn’t the president or anything, but he did all the work. He was getting all the guest speakers or helping line them up, helping raise money, just spreading the word."
Those letters that Fredericks commonly spread throughout the community? Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame member Tara Kirk Sell, a Bremerton native who became an Olympic-level swimmer along with her sister Dana, recalled her parents receiving a handful from Fredericks during her career. They included newspaper clippings about the Kirk sisters' accomplishments in the pool.
“He was so enthusiastic and supportive of local athletes," Kirk Sell said. “There’s a core of people who grew up in Bremerton, care about the community, are willing to do a lot for the community and stay here and invest their time and energy into making it a better place. I think Bob was one of those people."
Even within the past week, Karen Fredericks said her father-in-law sent a newspaper article to one of his grandkids. He wanted to understand their interests and would stoke their curiosity with deliveries to the mailbox.
"He was sending out envelopes all the time," Karen Fredericks said. "Everybody got mail from Bob. ... He really wanted to stay in communication, even as he was less able to get out."
One social gathering that remained constant for Fredericks over the years was the monthly luncheon held in honor of Orville "Tinie" Johnson, a former Bremerton coach and athletic director who died in 2008. What began as a meeting of three or four people grew into gatherings that drew 30-40 attendees regularly to McCloud’s Grill House in East Bremerton.
Luncheon regulars John Sitton and wife Cindy Hjelmaa said Fredericks arranged speakers, made fliers by hand and phoned folks to remind them about invitations. Sports could be a topic, but Fredericks cared about many civic issues and would invite city officials, or the sheriff, or leaders from the school district to share, like when West Sound Tech’s Ryan Nickles spoke in March. During February's luncheon, Fredericks provided gave an update on Bremerton's boys basketball team, which went on to claim the Class 3A state title in Yakima.
“When we planned out trips, we purposely made sure we weren’t gone on the third Thursday of the month,” Hjelmaa said.
Whether those luncheons continue without Fredericks running the show remains to be seen, though Sutton credited Fredericks for creating many friendships among those who would attend. There's no doubt that the community is left with a hole, missing the person Karen Fredericks described as one of a kind.
“There’s never going to be another Bob Fredericks, that’s for sure.”
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bremerton sports legend, tennis enthusiast Bob Fredericks dies at 95
Continue reading...
This was a man who kept the post office busy with outgoing mail destined for friends, family members and other contacts around Kitsap County. If there was something important happening with sports, chances are Fredericks knew about it — or had a hand in making it happen.
“His true joy was the local sports scene,” Karen Fredericks, his daughter-in-law, said Tuesday. “It was the center of his life, truly. Everybody knew sports was Bob’s passion.”
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Bob Fredericks died early Sunday morning at the age of 95 at his longtime Tracyton home following a brief illness. Fredericks, whose wife Jane died in 2017, is survived by his daughter Valerie Moeller (George); daughter Janet Long (George) and son Jon Fredericks (Karen); as well as six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The family said a public celebration of life will be scheduled and announced.
Those who knew Fredericks, a 1947 Bremerton High School graduate, understood how much of a champion he became for his hometown and surrounding areas. He earned the nickname "Sports King of Kitsap" by longtime Kitsap Sun reporter Terry Mosher, who died in December after authoring numerous stories on Fredericks during his career.
"He was a classic promoter," added former Kitsap Sun sports editor Chuck Stark. "He could have had another life somewhere, doing big-time stuff. He was always just promoting local athletes."
Fredericks, who worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 38 years as an engineer, spent most of his life figuring out how to get things done.
As a senior and ASB president at Bremerton High School in 1946-47, Fredericks spearheaded a fundraising drive to help build Memorial Stadium. It's almost the stuff of legend as Fredericks convinced a skeptical school board to match any funds raised by students for the project. He eventually showed up at a meeting with nearly $40,000 in donations.
You must be registered for see images attach
“I was a subtle promoter all my life," Fredericks told the Kitsap Sun in 2013. "It started my senior year in high school when we built the football field. I worked day and night to get it built."
A basketball player and track and field athlete in high school, Fredericks became an accomplished tennis player at Olympic College. It was a sport played by his father Fritz and brother Bill. Fredericks later joined a small group of men in forming the Bremerton Tennis & Athletic Club (now the Kitsap Tennis & Athletic Club). For years he helped organize all manner tennis and racquetball tournaments at the venue, which opened in 1970.
One of Fredericks' biggest disappointments was coming this close to getting professional tennis Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg to come to Bremerton for a demonstration in front of 2,000 students. A teacher strike nixed those plans late in the process.
Fredericks served on the Kitsap YMCA board for 12 years and he was a regular at Kitsap Athletic Roundtable gatherings. He earned the first-ever Rex Brown Distinguished Service Award, which is annually handed out by the KAR to a member of the community who goes above and beyond while promoting and working in athletics in the Kitsap area.
Stark believes the KAR, which held its most recent hall of fame ceremony in February, is still around today because of Fredericks' efforts.
“He kept it going," Stark said. "There were times that thing probably would have died. He wasn’t the president or anything, but he did all the work. He was getting all the guest speakers or helping line them up, helping raise money, just spreading the word."
You must be registered for see images attach
Those letters that Fredericks commonly spread throughout the community? Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame member Tara Kirk Sell, a Bremerton native who became an Olympic-level swimmer along with her sister Dana, recalled her parents receiving a handful from Fredericks during her career. They included newspaper clippings about the Kirk sisters' accomplishments in the pool.
“He was so enthusiastic and supportive of local athletes," Kirk Sell said. “There’s a core of people who grew up in Bremerton, care about the community, are willing to do a lot for the community and stay here and invest their time and energy into making it a better place. I think Bob was one of those people."
Even within the past week, Karen Fredericks said her father-in-law sent a newspaper article to one of his grandkids. He wanted to understand their interests and would stoke their curiosity with deliveries to the mailbox.
"He was sending out envelopes all the time," Karen Fredericks said. "Everybody got mail from Bob. ... He really wanted to stay in communication, even as he was less able to get out."
One social gathering that remained constant for Fredericks over the years was the monthly luncheon held in honor of Orville "Tinie" Johnson, a former Bremerton coach and athletic director who died in 2008. What began as a meeting of three or four people grew into gatherings that drew 30-40 attendees regularly to McCloud’s Grill House in East Bremerton.
Luncheon regulars John Sitton and wife Cindy Hjelmaa said Fredericks arranged speakers, made fliers by hand and phoned folks to remind them about invitations. Sports could be a topic, but Fredericks cared about many civic issues and would invite city officials, or the sheriff, or leaders from the school district to share, like when West Sound Tech’s Ryan Nickles spoke in March. During February's luncheon, Fredericks provided gave an update on Bremerton's boys basketball team, which went on to claim the Class 3A state title in Yakima.
“When we planned out trips, we purposely made sure we weren’t gone on the third Thursday of the month,” Hjelmaa said.
Whether those luncheons continue without Fredericks running the show remains to be seen, though Sutton credited Fredericks for creating many friendships among those who would attend. There's no doubt that the community is left with a hole, missing the person Karen Fredericks described as one of a kind.
“There’s never going to be another Bob Fredericks, that’s for sure.”
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bremerton sports legend, tennis enthusiast Bob Fredericks dies at 95
Continue reading...
