Frederick Sheppard Gersh

Fred Gersh Bio – Draft – 10 April, 2012 On the morning of April 5, 2012, Frederick Sheppard Gersh passed away surrounded by his family following a long and difficult battle with prostate cancer. Fred Gersh was born on May 24, 1936 in Portsmouth, NH to Ida Checkoway Gersh and Benjamin Gersh. He attended Portsmouth High School and graduated from The Tilton School in Tilton, NH in 1954. Fred then attended the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, NH where he graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. While at UNH Fred met and fell in love with fellow UNH student Maxine "Micki" Leavy of Plainfield, NJ. They were married the week after graduation. Fred also participated in UNH's Air Force ROTC program, from which he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1959. With his wife Micki by his side, Fred went on to have a distinguished 27-year career in the Air Force's civil engineering field. The following is summary of his Air Force service. • 1960 – 1400th Installations Squadron, Keflavik Airport, Keflavik, Iceland • 1961-1962 – 1360th Civil Engineering Squadron, Orlando AFB, Orlando, Florida • 1963-1966 – 61st Military Airlift Wing, Hickam AFB, Honolulu, Hawaii • 1966-1969 – 1095th Support Squadron, Defense Atomic Support Agency, Bossier Base, Bossier City, Louisiana • 1969-1970 – 819th Civil Engineering Squadron (Heavy Repair – RED HORSE), Phu Cat AB, and Headquarters 7th Air Division Civil Engineering Directorate, Tan Son Nhut AB, Republic of Vietnam • 1970-1974 – Directorate of Civil Engineering, Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio • 1974-1975 – Graduate Student earning a Master's degree in Facilities Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio • 1975-1976 – Directorate of Engineering and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, West Germany • 1976-1979 – Einsiedlerhof Base Civil Engineer, 86th Civil Engineering Squadron, Einsiedlerhof Air Station, Kaiserslautern, West Germany • 1979-1983 – Air Force Regional Civil Engineer, Directorate of Engineering and Services, Headquarters Air Forces in Europe at West Ruislip, England • 1983-1986 – Commander, 1100the Civil Engineering Squadron, Bolling AFB, Washington, DC Fred retired as a Colonel in the US Air Force on June 30, 1986. His major military service awards and decorations included the Legion of Merit with oak leave cluster (OLC), Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with OLC, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ribbon with "Valor" device and four OLCs, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Honor Medal 1st class and Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm From June 1986 to October 1987 Fred served under contract with the U.S. Department of State supporting U.S. embassy facilities maintenance programs and projects worldwide within the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations. From October 1987 to January 2004 Fred worked in the University of Maryland in College Park in Capital Projects Facilities Management. Fred was involved in many programs and projects including the Performing Arts Center and athletic and academic support facilities at six of the eleven campuses of the University of Maryland system. Fred was a fierce advocate for Prostate Cancer awareness and Veterans' Health after his exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. His efforts ranged from tireless one-on-one support, informative and encouraging documentation and videos for patients, their families and caregivers to personally addressing members of Congress on the need for increased funding for cancer-related programs. Fred was recognized for his advocacy efforts when received the 2010 Outstanding Advocate Award from US TOO International, a non-profit prostate cancer education and support network of 325 support group chapters worldwide. Since 1992 and in earnest in 2004 Fred has devoted his time to many volunteer efforts associated with Prostate Cancer and Veterans' Health. Fred served as the "Us Too" Prostate Cancer Support Group Leader and Facilitator (http://www.ustoo.org/) at the Inova Alexandria Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia for twenty years from 1992 to 2012. From 2005 to 2012 Fred was a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Prostate Cancer Coalition (http://vapcacoalition.org/). As a representative for the Us Too International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, Fred served on three national committees: Cancer Leadership Council (http://www.cancerleadership.org/) which is a patient-centered forum of national advocacy organizations addressing public policy issues in cancer, One Voice Against Cancer (http://www.ovaconline.org/) which is a coalition of national non-profit organizations that effectively lobbies Congress and the White House on the need for increased funding for essential cancer-related programs, and the Veterans Health Council (http://www.veteranshealth.org/) which is an alliance dedicated to providing veterans with resources to help them make their way through the red tape that can be a barrier to obtaining Veterans Administration (VA) beneï¬ts and healthcare. They are also providing veterans with easy access to information linking illnesses with the areas of service to which VA has attributed those conditions with the goal of drawing in veterans who are entitled to VA beneï¬ts but are unaware of it. Although an Air Force veteran, Fred worked hard for the benefits of all military veterans, especially groups like Blue Water Navy (www.bluewaternavy.org). An organization dedicated for United States Navy, Coast Guard and Fleet Marine services who fought in Vietnam and currently suffer disabilities from the effects of dioxin, found in Agent Orange Fred was known for his amazing energy, drive, and his generosity sharing his smile and origami cranes. Always looking for ways to connect with people, Fred became inspired by a friendly young woman on a train ride in Japan. In just a few stops she had folded an Origami crane. Fascinated with her delicate and speedy folds, Fred made an effort to learn this skill for himself. He loved to share the story of the Sadako Sasaki and the thousand paper cranes and its healing powers with anyone who gave him time. Fred is survived by the following family. • His wife of 52 years, Maxine "Micki" who resides in Alexandria, Virginia • His three sons o Mark Gersh, his wife Bernadette, and their daughter Jordan who reside in Redwood City, California, o Robert Gersh, his wife Susan Horowitz, their daughter Shira, and their son Avram who reside in Bath, Maine, and o Benjamin Gersh who resides in Moody, Alabama • His brother, Milton Gersh, who presently lives in Sarasota, Florida • His sister, Joan Hankin and her husband Neil who reside in Madison, Alabama

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Frederick Sheppard Gersh

May 24, 1936 - April 5, 2012