BREAKING NEWS:

FRED STEVENSON 1923 ~ 2010 By Mike Arnold and Anthony Hipps

It is with very heavy heart that I report the passing of Fred Stevenson, Founder of the South Eastern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, long-time friend and mentor.  Fred was 87. He lived in Huntsville, AL and went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, June 22^nd, 2010. It's a shame that God doesn't practice catch & release - I would like this one back in the streams of this world at least long enough to fish with him one more time and say a decent "farewell".

Fred was born and raised in Ardmore, Tennessee, then moved to Huntsville, where he had been a lifelong resident. He was a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the Korean War and served in Luzon, Philippine Islands, South Pacific, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Mindanao, Japan, and Korea. He also taught ROTC at the University of Virginia. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with the "V" and Oak Leaf Cluster from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He was a member of the Ardmore Masonic Lodge #24 for 50 years.

Fred graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in electrical engineering, then entered the civil service at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville in 1955 and retired in 1978. He was later inducted as a member of the USASMDC Retiree Hall of Fame and was on the Tennessee Valley Chapter Honor Flight trip in May of 2008. He was a member and deacon of Morningside Baptist Church. His major hobby was nature photography and he enjoyed bird watching and traveling. He received a certificate of graduation from the New York Institute of Photography and UAH. He was an avid bass and fly fisherman and was well known for his custom built fishing rods and his fishing flies. He started the first community watch program in Huntsville in March 1979, where he later became known as the "Grandfather of Community Watch."

He organized and was a member of the Tennessee Valley Fly Fishers and was the founding father of the South-Eastern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers in 1991 and president of that organization until 2001 when he turned the reigns over. Fred received many awards from the FFF and the South Eastern Council including a Lifetime Achievement Award, Man of the Year, Charlie Brooks Life Memorial Award, and the Lapis Lazuli Award. The South Eastern Council started the "Fred Stevenson Scholarship Fund" in 2002 and it has since assisted  many students in the Biological Sciences fields continue their studies and work projects.  

He was also a member of the National Wildlife Federation, AL/TN Trail of Tears Remembrance Association, Tennessee Valley Audubon Society, National Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy, and the Huntsville Botanical Garden, where he taught Birding 101 Classes.

Fred was a mentor to many people in all of his endeavors and had a very long list of lifetime friends.  I count myself lucky to have been one of them.

Along those lines, Anthony Hipps had this to say: "Fred was a mentor by example to me.  He was not a political person, but he was a "get it done" leader of FFF-SEC.  He inducted me into the FFF-SEC BOD in 1999 after my nomination by Bud Marler.  Fred was quick to introduce himself to me and make me feel welcome to the BOD.  As the new President of FFF-SEC I could do no better than to lead by Fred's example and gentle demeanor.   Fred was unique among men, confident and sure of himself yet gentle and sharing.  The FFF-SEC still contains a lot of the personality of Fred Stevenson.  I will fish with you Fred 100 years from today.  May God bless and comfort his friends and family left behind.   I will always cherish the times I got to talk with Fred and share fishing stories."

Donations may be made to the Hummer Bird Study Group Inc., ATTN: Bob Sargent, P.O. Box 2500, Clay, AL 35048 or Morningside Baptist Church.