I first met Fred Magnuson in Charlotte, N.C. in early January of 1976. Together we were both to be two thirds of a three-man task force assigned to adjust, collect or even repossess quite seriously delinquent mobile home accounts all across the state of South Carolina. At that time Fred was a Vice President for the Indiana National Bank and he had driven down from Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was a District Manager for a mobile home service company that was a wholly owned subsidiary of the same bank and I had driven up to Charlotte from Miami, Florida. Fred and I became instant friends and continued to work closely together for the best part of that year. Because of its central location we agreed to set up our headquarters at the Airport Holiday Inn in Columbia, S.C. Although Fred and I travelled in different directions every day we usually tried to meet up for dinner each night except for the nights when we were out working late. Under such circumstances you get to know someone very well.

I learned early on that Fred Magnuson was clearly an articulate, well-educated man who could speak extemporaneously on a myriad of subjects but most in particular he spoke his sincere opinions on politics, sports and his strong Christian faith. Fred also had a wonderful dry wit sense of humor that was usually followed by his infectious laugh right at the exact moment he perceived that you finally got his latest joke. Fred also spoke to me about intimate details of his personal life. It turns out that up ‘til then the employer that Fred had thus far built his finance career with wanted him out. It seems, among other things, that Fred didn’t have quite the right corporate or political alignments and the powers that be had long decided that they wanted him gone. And, at the time, they actually believed that by giving this bank V.P. such a meagre assignment that he would simply just quit. But they didn’t know Fred Magnuson. Fred Magnuson was no quitter!

Fred was an honest, principled man of very strong moral character but he also taught me a great deal about what it takes to exhibit dignity and grace while under fire in the corporate business world. “If they want to pay me what they’re paying me to collect past due accounts then the joke is on them,” he told me. And to Fred’s credit fifteen years later I was to find myself in almost exactly the very same set of circumstances and it was only by the Grace of God and my good friend Fred Magnuson that I was able to outlast and endure it. Thank you for that Fred, and thank you for so much more. ‘Good night sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest’.

Anonymous