R.I.P. Carl Fredericksen

Carl Fredericksen was my mentor. At Athenian Upper School, the man took me in and listened to all of my pseudo-intellectual chatter, and guided me toward pursuits that would expand my thought process, and shaped me into the person I am today.

From Dick B., head of the school (abridged):

"It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Carl Fredericksen, former member of the Upper School Humanities department. Carl was a man of many interests and talents. Here at Athenian he taught both history and literature, edited the literary magazine, and created the Humanitas course that has become a hallmark of our curriculum. Carl was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s in 1997."

I had an active and inventive imagination when I met Carl. Carl captured that, and honed it into an aggressively inventive imagination. He found in me a curious mind that wanted to experiment with every idea possible. He was a philosopher, a questioner, but most of all, he was a teacher.

He will be missed.