Fred S. Van Vleck, 83, Lawrence passed away Thursday, December 6, 2018, in Lawrence.

Jim Orr's eulogy for Fred, February 2, 2019:

Good morning.  My name is Jim Orr. I’m a faculty member at KU and one of the noon-time running group named the Mad Dogs and Englishmen that Fred, along with Phil Montgomery, and others, helped formed in the 1970s. 
Let me first say that on behalf of the Mad Dogs, we want to express our sincere condolences to Fred’s family and thank them for giving me the opportunity to say a little about what Fred meant to the Mad Dogs. 

Fred and I were good friends.  We shared several experiences that brought us together.  We were both raised on a farm, Fred in Nebraska, myself in Iowa.  Our interest in the outdoors led to us both living outside of Lawrence in the country.  We were both sports fans and followed KU sports. We ran together for nearly 30 years – probably my longest association with any KU faculty member. 

Fred was a gifted runner. Perhaps most notable was Fred’s completion of marathons in the late 1970s and early 1980s as an event within the KU relays.  In 1980, 12 Mad Dogs ran in the KU marathon with Fred finishing with the fastest time.  At the Mad Dogs annual banquet, Fred was awarded the Runner of the Year for several years.  Most notable for me was his stamina and desire to continue running as he grew older.  What I consider his greatest running accomplishment is the fact that he ran with the group at noon up until he turned eighty. Events that often push runners to less strenuous modes of exercise did not deter Fred. Runners often drift away when they retire, but not Fred.  He was there at noon, every MWF, no matter the weather or personal commitments.   

I’ll close with one additional story.  A number of years ago, Ed Payne brought a section of duct tape (wide fabric- embedded gray tape) with Fred’s name written in bold letters to the locker room.  Ed pasted the duct tape to Fred’s locker.  Ed says that it was meant to remind us where Fred had his locker, but I know that it was probably really meant to help Fred to keep track of his locker.  When we were told of Fred’s passing, a number of emails surfaced acknowledging Fred’s stature among the Mad Dogs.  Nearly everyone noted Fred’s gentle, kind, soft-spoken manner.  One Mad Dog, Jim Guthrie, sent all of us an image of Fred’s locker and his name duct-taped to the door.  As I reflect on Fred’s life and what he meant to the group, I think of his name duct-taped to the door.  Like duct tape, Fred was not glamorous, but his strong, gentle, and deliberate  manner was admired and respected by all of the Mad Dogs.  Down the road, a custodian will eventually remove the duct-tape and Fred’s name from the door.  But no one will ever remove Fred’s memory and what he meant to the Mad Dogs.  As Dick Lipsey stated in his remembrances of Fred – “If a single person epitomized the best of our group, it was Fred.” 

Tony Redwood:

We know it is inevitable for all of us but even so it is still quite a shock when it happens to a friend, particularly to somebody you admire and care for.

I met Fred and Phil in the faculty locker room in Robinson in the fall of 1976. I was getting tired of my daily swim routine and asked them if I could join them the next day for a run. Weather was lousy so we had to run in Allen Field House. Off we set on the track and Phil took the lead. I was second, then Fred and others.After 4 laps he slowed down to let the next person take the lead and set the pace. At this stage I was already gasping for air and wondering what the hell I was doing with these guys. Fred sidles up to me and explains that it was my turn to lead. I tried to beg off but to no avail. So I "surged" to the lead and ran about as fast as I could. After two laps and praying for deliverance, Fred loomed up on my flank, told me I had done well, and took over the lead. I quickly faded back to last place, to avoid leading again before the run was over, and I liked it so much that I became a permanent fixture towards the back of the pack for the rest of my long MadDogs career.

That was Fred. Thoughtful about others, supportive, and caring. I am confident that when we reach our after life Fred and Phil will have organized our next running adventure. It will be great to see them again.

Jim Orr:

The last time that I visited with Fred was near the 2017 MadDogs annual run.  Fred had phoned to see if I could bring him to the race and also asked if I would be able to clean out his locker. Fred had stopped jogging near his 80th birthday, but emptying my friend’s locker made his decision to no longer run with the group even more final.
I started running with the MadDogs in the mid-80s and my most frequent running companion was Fred. We spent over 30 years running together at noon.  We were both regular, Fred even more so than me. He hardly ever missed a day even after retiring from KU.  I think he enjoyed visiting with us as much as running.
When we started running together, Fred ran faster, but he slowed down to match my pace.  That was Fred.  As the years went on, my pace gradually caught up with his until the last few years when I was slowing to meet his pace: the circle of running, I guess.
 There are a number of reasons that Fred was such a good friend. He and I shared some common life experiences.  He was a Nebraska farm boy; I grew up on a farm in Iowa.  We both appreciated farming and spent many noon runs sharing our experiences from our early years on the farm.  We also enjoyed talking about sports, KU events, and our families.  Fred was fortunate to have his son Erik here at the end. Without Erik I don’t think Fred and Charlotte could have handled all of the challenges they faced in moving back to town and meeting the increasing frequency of visits to the physician.
Many of the MadDogs have written about Fred with nearly everyone commenting on Fred’s soft-spoken, gentle nature and the fact that he never (and I mean never) spoke ill of someone.  Faculty love to complain about the behavior of our colleagues, it’s in our nature to be critical.  We gave Fred ample opportunity to complain and criticize but he never took the bait.  Fred was one of the best; I miss him dearly.       

Chuck Eklund:

Peace to Fred's memory. A great running friend.

Deborah Faurot:

Fred’s passing is a sad loss for so many of us.  I ran with Fred from the mid-80’s until about 2005, when I became a walker.  Although 10 to 15 years older, Fred was still running!   Fred nurtured me into becoming a better runner than I would have become on my own,  As he aged, and his pace slowed, he was willing to run with me and the B team or Z team as time went on.  He was always there.  When I trained for 10k’s, he would accompany me on a longer noon run, mapping out a course for me, always giving me support and encouragement.  I loved him as a brother, which I expect most of you feel.  He was incredibly kind and gentle, with a humorous bent, making me eager to go out for a noon run.  I missed him at this summer’s Mad Dog affair and will continue to miss him.

Peter Lorenzi:

After the wonderful event in October, Fred's sad death only adds to the empathy, friendships, kindnesses, accomplishments and memories of the Mad Dogs. I wish that I could turn back the clock forty years. I know that I can't, but I can think about it. And think about Mike Ott, Jim Brewer, John Bunce, Phil Montgomery and the other passed Dogs who created such a wonderful, memorable group and a lifetime of experiences for me and many others. Fred was one of the first I met when I started running with the group in 1978. While Phil was the shepherd, Fred was the sage. Fred and I ran the Run for the Health of It half marathon in Topeka on Saturday, March 31, 1979. We ran stride for stride, talking pace and schmoozing the entire race only for me to make the worst rookie gaffe and sprint ahead in the last
fifty yards.

All was forgiven, but I learned good etiquette that day. And it still took me 1:45:54.1. I wasn't yet ready for the KU marathon I ran, mostly with Phil and Fred, in 1983. I attached the 1980 Mad Dog photo as one of my memories of Fred and the group. On August 30, 2003 Fred and Phil signed my entry into The Society of the Golden
Shoe, also attached. I still have my painted white and signed shoe from the group. I am tearing up as I type this. I'll let Noel Coward say it for me:

https://youtu.be/z2YvYiWtovM

Deborah Altus:

I so love Peter Lorenzi’s comment that while Phil was the shepherd, Fred was the sage.  He was lovely man, and kind to a fault. We enjoyed chatting on the run about student housing cooperatives, as he lived in one in college (Cornhusker Co-op, if memory serves, at University of Nebraska). I am deeply saddened by the news. He will be sorely missed by many - but how fortunate we were to have known him!

Emily Roth:

Peter,
Thank you for the Noel Coward you tube ! I hadn’t heard it for a long time. And thanks to everyone for these wonderful statements and memories of Fred. All I can think to say is that Fred was without a doubt the nicest guy in the running group. I never once heard him utter a critical or mean spirited statement or judgement of anyone. He was all the things they are saying< about George H W Bush and more. A true gentleman. Yes, the group was the offshoot of Fred and Phil, their convivial congenial spirit affected everyone. They were the pillars of the group. He was already greatly missed by me at the most recent mad dogs event and now he will be missed by all of us forever. What a loss.

Mike Kelly (MadDog 76-79):

I am saddened to learn of Fred’s passing. My “ Society of the Golden Shoe Certificate” bears the signatures of both Fred and Phil Montgomery. I consider myself fortunate to have known and run with both. 

Ray Heitmann:

I ran in 74-76 and sadly most of the guys I ran with every day are no longer with us.  I came back to run the KU Marathon in 78 and stayed at Fred's house.  I hoped to run it with Phil and Fred, but alas Fred had gotten too fast.

Dick Lipsey: Fred the runner, and more

Fred was a founding member of the group but never wrote his memories of those days (though I asked him to several times). You can read some recollections of the group's early days here:

http://www.kumaddogs.org/about/history/index.html

The group's first organized event was in December 1973, a 10x1-mile and 20x1-mile event that was part of the inter-university postal competition organized (I think) by the University of Nebraska. Fred ran his mile in 5:35; 10 members of the math department ran, averaging 5:42.

About 60 faculty and staff members took part in postal competitons the next three school years at seven standard distances ranging from 440 yards to 10 miles. Fred ranked in the top-10 nationally among over-40 runners at each distance. Jim Orr, Ed Morris, Tom McClain, and Gene Wee are the only runners from those days who are still active.

Fred didn't race often, but he ran the KU Relays marathon each year from 1977 through 1982. In 1980 he ran 3:08:19, fhe first finisher of 12 MadDogs that year. His best time was 3:07:01 in 1982, at age 47. In 1985 he ran the Independence Days 5-mile in 33:00 at age 50, still the best over-50 time for our group.

Fred didn't run competitively again until the 2003 Raintree Run 5K (age 68) and ran it again in 2004 and the Shamrock Shuffle in 2004 and 2005. He was also a member of our MadDogs Veterans team in the Brew-to-Brew relay in 2006 and 2007 and part of our male masters team that took second in the 2005 Olathe Marathon relay.

Fred also ran the 5K and 2-mile several times in our fun runs in 2004-2007. His goal was to break 30 minutes in the 5K after age 70; he got down to 30:08 but didn't quite make it.

Fred ran each of our annual MadDogs runs from 1984-2016 except for 2004. In 2013, Fred, Doug Houston, and Wes Hubert were the first members of the Century Club, those who had run at least 100 miles cumulatively in what by then we called the John Bunce runs.

Fred was named our Runner of the Year in 1988, and in 1991 he received the Marvin Fine "I should have been a therapist" award (for reasons now lost to time but perhaps for his meditations during our noon runs). In 1993 Fred received a university teaching award along with Mike Gaines and Max Sutton. In 1997 he was named the group's Most Consistent runner, and at our 2003 30-year reunion he was selected as the Outstanding Male MadDog, along with Grover Everett.

If any single person epitomized the best of our group, it was Fred.

Harold Yarger:

As you know, we lived in Lawrence for 17 years & for many of those years we lived across the street (700 block of Indiana St.) from Fred Van Vleck & family.  At one time Erik used to mow our yard.  In 1972 (when we moved in across the street) I can remember Fred's twin girls-barely tall enough to look out their window-watching us.  Subsequently, the twins were over many times playing with our kids. 

I first met Fred ~1971 when Larry Brady & I would drive at lunch time from the KGS (on west campus) to Allen Fieldhouse where the math dept. would be running on the dirt track.  Before we moved from Lawrence in 1986, Fred sold his house on Indiana & bought a small farm outside Lawrence.  As runners we were pretty evenly matched, so we ran a lot together.  Fred was a very gentle person & easy to talk to.  During the late 80's & early 90's we came back to Lawrence often.  On at least one occasion, we visited Fred, Charlotte & at least one of the grown twins.  As you probably know, Fred continued running for many years.  He will be missed.  

Larry Brady:

I first met Fred in the fall of 1971 when he and the "math  guys" were running laps at Allen F.H.; I ran off and on with Fred for the next 30+ years. He was the  gentleman among a great group of runners. Fred will be missed by the Mad Dogs.

Jim Halle:

At the risk of filling your Inbox with one more email, I must weigh in about Fred’s passing.  I left KU and Lawrence in 1980 and have visited maybe 10 times since then.  Each time I’ve returned, I’ve thought about the Running Group and the people who encouraged me to extend my distance from 4 or 5 blocks to marathon-length runs.  Among the most prominent names was Fred for all of the reasons that I’ve read below.  He was kind, gentle, warm, and accommodating of new members to the group.  During my visits, I thought about trying to contact him but, regretfully, I never did.

I hope his family will take some comfort at this very sad time that there are many people they’ve never met who cared deeply for their spouse, father, grandfather, etc. Wishing all of you well at this Holiday Season and hope your 2019 is healthy and fulfilling!

Morrie Kleiner:

Really sorry to hear this. I started running with the group in Allen Fieldhouse in the early 70s and both Fred and Phil continued to offer encouragement and advice over the years. Just keep running.

As I sit here and reflect it suddenly has dawned on me how special the Mad Dog running group is and Fred was one of those that made the group so special.  What a wonderful individual. Fred was one of a kind.

Bill Venohr:

I ran for four years while I was at the Navy ROTC and my pace and distance matched Fred’s and Jim Orr’s (obviously Fred was the best runner considering he was the most seasoned). We had many wonderful discussions during our noon runs and I will always remember that as a highlight of my time in Kansas.  I greatly appreciated Fred and Jim attending my Navy retirement ceremony.

Max Sutton:

So sorry to hear of the passing of such a friend to many of us—such a loyal and good person. May he rest in paradise. Love, Max

Dennis Rosen:

Very sad to hear about Fred's passing.  I joked at one of the Mad Dog banquets, that whenever I felt like it was not a good day to run, I would see Fred suiting up and think... Damn... Okay, if Fred can do it, I can do it.  And he did it for a lot longer than I did, since I stopped running many years ago.  I really enjoyed knowing Fred and running with him.

Jim Guthrie:

A gentle soul with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes; A central figure in the Dogs’ history whom I will remember fondly.

Mark Ludorf:

Here's my favorite memory of Fred...
I still remember the warm invitation to join the club that this stranger received from Fred (and Phil) while out running circa 1988. Thanks, Fred, for the invitation to become part of the Maddogs!

Marilyn Carlson, Arizona State U:

Fred was highly regarded as an outstanding instructor by both undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics—he was known to be challenging and interesting, while being highly supportive.  Fred was a member of my PhD committee and was as supportive in that role as he was with his running companions.

I fondly recall one of my early MadDog runs (in the early 80’s), and after going out too fast and splitting with the group, Fred staying with me as we navigated our way back and him helping find that “sweet” pace (not too fast and not too slow). Fred was a humble and quiet leader whose opinion was highly respected among faculty, students, and staff within math and across campus. After all these years Fred remains as my image of a model faculty member and will always have a special place in my heart.

Heithem El-Hodiri

I’m saddened to hear of Fred’s passing. I have a lot of fond memories of Fred. He was my master’s degree advisor and I learned a lot from him. appreciated his quiet, laid back, and, as has been mentioned, kind and gentle demeanor.

Jeff Allen

He was a true gentleman. I am sorry for all of our loss.

Ed Morris:

Doggonit. A huge loss to Mad Dogs and humankind. Wise and gentle, he led by doing -- a descriptivist, not a prescriptivist.

Mike Ettredge:

Fred was a great runner and a fine human being. I was fortunate to be able to run with him many times from about 1995 until he stopped running about three years ago.

Fran Breslauer:

I remember running with him at noon. He was always encouraging and had a good story to tell. Sorry to hear that he was ailing.

Scott Coston:

As one of the young guys, i was 40 on my first outing and am 56 now, i never ran with fred but i knew he had run a faster marathon after the age of 40 than before and i told him that that running accomplishment was a big inspiration to me as i headed into my mid-40s. i never got that faster time but thanks again fred for dangling that carrot out there for me.

Bob Welch:

I am so sorry to hear of Fred¹s passing. He was a great guy and will be greatly missed.

Pam Eglinski:

I remember him well from the "old" Dog days!