Marshall Fredericks . Com

Poetry Slam at Museum Honors Theodore Roethke

The Museum held a poetry slam on Saturday November, 8 to celebrate the centenial of the birth of poet Theodore Roethke.  Several poets attended from the local community, the university and the  Freinds of Theodore Roethke.  Prizes were awarded for the top three in the adult category and the top two in the youth category.  

From the Archives: Marshall M. Fredericks, Sculptor and Military Man

In honor of Veteran’s Day, the MFSM Archives brings you a reposting regarding Marshall Fredericks’ military service during World War II and his subsequent war memorial commissions.

Like many men and women, Marshall Fredericks chose to enlist in the U.S. military following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Although over age, Fredericks soon joined the Army Corps of Engineers where he served as the training officer for an engineer camouflage unit. Members of this unit trained to go overseas to camouflage airstrips and air installations. It is during this time in Tucson, Arizona that Fredericks met his wife Rosalind, who was driving a reconnaissance vehicle for the Army Air Force.

Always an innovative individual, Fredericks developed two new types of target charts while in Tucson, one visual and one radar-related for high altitude bombers. These inventions led to Fredericks transfer to the U.S. Air Force. His work with these target charts and a camera which he created allowed the military to perform operations which they previously had been unable to perform. As a result, the Air Force sent Fredericks to India and the Far East, including China, the Philippines, and Okinawa. According to Fredericks his “target charts and simulated radarscopes were used throughout the whole Japanese war and were very valuable…to the outcome of the conflict”. During his time in the military, Fredericks attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. He was discharged from service in 1945 and returned home to Michigan to continue working as a sculptor.

Fredericks’ travels during his military service may have inspired several watercolors, including those depicted below: 

Following Fredericks’ return to the United States, local governments, institutions, and corporations commissioned him to create memorials honoring veterans of World War II. These monuments include Victory Eagle on the UAW-Ford National Programs Center (formerly Veterans Memorial Building) in Detroit, American Eagle (Ann Arbor War Memorial Eagle) at University of Michigan Stadium, and the Eaton War Memorial Eagle monuments located at seven Eaton Corporation manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Michigan. 

His largest commission, the Cleveland War Memorial: Fountain of Eternal Life, took nineteen years to complete. Fredericks spoke about this piece in a 1981 interview with journalist Joy Colby, stating “I was very proud to have participated in World War II…. I considered it a real compliment and opportunity to do something and the big fountain in Cleveland, which is a war memorial and the largest in the country - it was a great experience for me to do that. It is, of course, dedicated to six thousand dead men and women in Cleveland. It was a tremendous experience to do that as well as the smaller ones”. A former resident of the city and graduate of the Cleveland School of Art, this piece meant a great deal to Fredericks. It’s central figure, Peace Arising from the Flames of War, stands forty-six feet tall atop a sphere surrounded by four carved blocks of granite representing the four corners of the earth. The memorial stands in Cleveland’s Veterans’ Memorial Plaza.

The Marshall M. Fredericks Archives contains 200 linear feet of materials, including 13 linear feet of personal correspondence; 1,200 project files; more than 10,300 photographs, negatives and slides; 4,335 newspaper and journal clippings; 400 architectural drawings and original sketches; 16 linear feet of books; 300 awards, citations and medallions; and 13 linear feet of film, audio and video recordings. These items are currently being cataloged and stored for long-term preservation and access, using best archival practices.

Compiled and researched by: Melissa Ford, MFSM Archivist

Originally posted: December 4, 2007

Marshall Fredericks 100th Birthday Celebration Video

On May 9, 2008 the Museum celebrated the 100th birthday of Marshall M. Fredericks with a spectacular evening event.  Also that evening we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum. Below is a link to the great video presentation that was part of that wonderful night in May when about 100 people came to pay tribute to Mr. Fredericks.

Please Click Here For Video

Thanks to Melissa Ford for the powerpoint slideshow and research, Dr. Steven Erickson for the narration, and the Bijou Orchestra for the music.

Summer 2008 Newsletter

We post our previous issue of the newsletter on this blog for all to read what is happening a the Museum. Members of the Museum get our current newsletter delivered to them. The next newsletter will be out in mid November. If you would like to become a member please visit the official website of the Museum www.svsu.edu/mfsm
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