Dr. Frederick A. Kundell

1940 - 2020

Dr. Frederick A. Kundell

Tyaskin - Dr. Frederick A. (Fred) Kundell passed away December 12, 2020, at his home in Tyaskin, MD. Fred was born on October 20, 1940 in Pulaski, New York, to the late Edward James Kundell and Isabelle Caufield Kundell. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Karen Gabrys Kundell formerly of Bradenville, PA; son Kenneth Frederick Kundell (Terry) of Berlin, MD; daughters Gretchen Kundell Peek of Delmar DE and Kirsten Anne Kundell of Delmar, MD; four grandchildren (Shane, Donald, and Sara Kundell, and Corey Peek); two siblings Kathleen Lawton (Karl) of Mexico, NY; and Jeanne Wilson (Thomas) of Inlet, NY; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, James Edward Kundell, in 2017.

After growing up in Pulaski, NY, Fred graduated from Pulaski Academy and Central School in 1958. He received his B.S. degree from Harpur College in Binghamton, NY in 1962 and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1967. Initially he spent a year and a half doing research at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark and the Max Plank Institute in Munich, Germany. He then taught at the University Maryland College Park prior to moving to Salisbury.

In 1970 Fred began to teach Chemistry classes at what was then Salisbury State College (SSC). In addition to his teaching duties, he was Associate Academic Dean of Science from 1972-1976 and the Chair of the Fiscal Advisory Committee twice in the 1970s. In 1973 he created an algorithm that revolutionized course registration at SSC and helped improve the registration system again in 1982. He also developed a computer program to monitor the temperature in rooms on campus in 1978 during a time when SSC was watching their energy usage.

Fred was the Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at Salisbury University from 1983-1995, during which time he worked to establish both Chemistry and Physics as majors. He wrote the proposal for SSC's Nursing program and, once it was established, he endeavored to achieve certification for that program. It was also during his time as Chairman that SU earned American Chemical Society certification, an undertaking that may not have been successful without his efforts.

Fred retired from Salisbury University February 1, 2018 after teaching for more than 51 years. To say that he loved teaching hardly begins to describe how he felt. Prior to the beginning of each semester he would get so excited about meeting his new classes that he was like a child waiting for Santa Clause on Christmas Eve.

Fred was very concerned about our environment. During the energy crisis in the early 1970's, he designed a class called Energy and the Environment and wrote a book to accompany the class. Each summer he would update the book so that its contents reflected the current research/information that he believed his students needed to know about taking care of the environment.

For five months in 1976, while he was on sabbatical, Fred served as a Science Specialist advising the U.S. House of Representatives. While in that position he helped put together a number of pieces of legislation, including a bill for using conservation measures in federal buildings. He also worked on legislation to provide for the research and development of external combustion engines, which burn better and cleaner than the internal combustion engines that were used at that time. His sabbatical in 1991 was spent researching polymer chemistry at the DuPont Seaford Delaware plant. Using information that he learned there he wrote "A Polymer Primer," a supplementary text on polymer chemistry for his Physical Chemistry students. Right before his most recent sabbatical he had begun to work with computational chemistry, and his sabbatical focused on using computational methods to study biochemical processes related to the origins of life.

Other than his family, one of the accomplishments of which Fred was most proud was his house. He spent about 10 years mentally designing it and with the help of his family and a few friends, built it over a seven-year period. Initially a passive solar home, it became an active solar home a few years later once it was heated and cooled with a groundwater-to-air heat pump. About 10 years later he had solar panels installed on the roof. Each semester he would bring the students in his Energy and the Environment class to his home so they could see that with a few inexpensive modifications a basic ranch house could become a solar house which would benefit the environment.

From the time he was young, Fred wanted to be a 'gentleman farmer.' In the early 1990's he spent many hours putting a barbed wire fence around part of his property (by hand) and invested in three 5-month-old Angus heifers. It did not take him long to realize that Angus have no respect for barbed wire fences. About two years later he purchased a yearling Angus bull which he named Sir Phillip, Earl of Ra Manor (aka S.P.E.R.M.) When asked why, he would tell you that it was because he "wanted the bull to know why he was here." This is just one example of Fred's witty sense of humor, a trait for which he was well known. He went on to raise grass fed, no hormones, no antibiotics beef for over 25 years, and loved every minute of it.

A Private Vigil Service will be held for Fred at noon on December 28, 2020, which will be live webcasted at www.Facebook.com/HollowayFH. At the family's request, please do not send flowers to the funeral home. They request that any financial gifts or monetary memorials of Fred be sent to the Maryland Food Bank-Eastern Shore, 28500 Owens Branch Rd, Salisbury, MD 21801 or to support your favorite environmental cause.