Frederick "Fred" Irving

1921 - 2016

AMHERST - Frederick Irving of Amherst, affectionately known as "FTG" (Frederick the Great) by his family and close friends, died peacefully Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, in the comforting presence of his family. He was 95 years old.

A World War II veteran, U.S. diplomat and author he was most proud of his lifelong professional and personal commitment to work on behalf of, equality of opportunity for all human beings regardless of sex, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability status, and to the prevention of conflict leading to war. His is a quintessentially American life story.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Frederick was the sixth and youngest child of Rebecca Lerner, an immigrant from Bessarabia, Russia, and Philip Irving, an immigrant from Romania. His father died when Fred was four years old and Rebecca kept the family together by taking in piecework. Fred attended Classical High School while working full time at a soda shop. In the 10th grade at Classical, Fred met the love of his life, Dorothy Petrie, to whom he remained devoted to the end of his days.

Fred continued to work 40 hours per week while attending Brown University and competing on the fencing team. Following in the footsteps of his four older brothers, Fred joined the U.S. Army Air Corps immediately upon graduation from Brown in 1943. His photographic memory led to an assignment as the navigator on a B-24 bomber crew based in Italy. On his 37th mission Fred's plane was shot down over Hungary. He credited the Tuskegee Airmen with saving his life as they circled the plane until the crew could bail out. Fred was captured by Hungarian partisans, turned over to the German Army and interned in Stalag Luft III, the site of the "Great Escape." He was liberated by Patton's Army – two of his brothers among them – in May 1945.

After a period of recovery at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C. Fred attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University on the GI Bill. There he met his lifelong best friend, Harish Mahindra of India, who served as the best man at his long-delayed marriage to high school sweetheart, Dorothy.

After his graduation from Fletcher in 1946, Fred and Dorothy embarked on a tandem career in the U.S. Foreign Service. They served together in Austria, New Zealand, and Washington D.C. as well as in Iceland and Jamaica where Fred was the U.S. Ambassador. Fred always acknowledged Dorothy's critical, if unpaid, role in forging and maintaining personal and professional ties that supported U.S. interests abroad.

Upon retiring from the U.S. State Department Fred joined the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also served as an Ombudsman for the Massachusetts Council on the Elderly, traveled widely with Dorothy on consulting missions for the United States, delivered meals on wheels, maintained a home in Belmont, a cabin in Bridgton, Maine, and a sugarbush in Vermont. He often talked to school groups and civic organizations about his experience as a Prisoner of War, his efforts in the U.S. Foreign Service to promote peaceful solutions to inevitable disagreements, and the need for all Americans to ensure that the freedoms, justice and prosperity that we enjoy in the United Sates are available to all people equally within and outside its borders.

Fred wrote a book about his life experiences: "Mr. President, Do You Think I have Rocks in My Head?!" Interviews with Fred have been featured in the Hampshire Gazette, the Belmont Citizen-Herald and the Providence Journal as well as archived in the Library of Congress and the Yiddish Book Center.

Fred was a man of great character and many talents. He was unfailingly kind and generous with his time, expertise, advice and funds. He was intellectually sharp, mechanically adept, loyal, funny and highly ethical. When asked by a grandchild at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration why she married Fred, Dorothy replied "I knew Fred as a man I could always be proud of. And so I have been." So are we all.

Fred's beloved wife of 64 years predeceased him in 2010. He leaves three children, Susan J. Irving (Joseph) of Washington, D.C., Richard Frederick Irving (Gitte) of Winchester, and Barbara J. Irving (Lindsay) of Amherst; eight grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and innumerable treasured friends and admirers.

A memorial service is planned for Dec. 3, at the Applewood Residence in Amherst.

Memorial donations may be made to the New England Center for Homeless Veterans in Boston, or to the Employee Fund at Linda Manor Extended Care Facility in Leeds.

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