Fred Gehrung – (June 1950)

Fred Gehrung attended Rose Fanning Grade School and RHS, graduating in June 1950. He received a degree in journalism from Missouri University and married his college sweetheart, Laura Walchshauser. After graduating from Mizzou, he entered military service and was assigned to an intelligence unit in Zielgesbach, Germany. Upon his return to the U.S. his first job was with Mallinckrodt Chemical Works.  Two years later he joined Monsanto as PR director in New York.

In 1972, Fred launched his own business which was the first of its kind in the nation: Gehrung Associates University Relations Counselors.  It was a public relations firm specializing in and geared entirely to college and university image enhancement.  Having a university’s professors and achievements in behalf of science, business, the arts, government, medicine and the like brought to the public’s attention via the national news media meant reputation enhancement, which in turn would attract students and money.  The Wall Street Journal credited Fred with “fathering” what it termed “the new industry of university relations.”

The first university client of Gehrung Associates was St. Louis University and later Washington University in St. Louis.  S.L. U.’s Father Reinert, together with the Danforth Foundation, wanted to launch a national campaign to improve government funding of higher education.  Gehrung Associates was retained to marshal the editorial pages of the nations’s newspapers.  Senator Ted Kennedy personally delivered a white paper, co-authored by Father Reinert and Fred, on Capital Hill and the bill was passed.  They also communicated with Mike Wallace, Tom Brokaw, talk shows including “Today” and “Good Morning America” and reporters from all the national newspapers.  Some of their efforts generated “Sixty Minutes” segments.  Gehrung Associates’ client list included over thirty top-ranked universities, a “who’s who” of American institutions.  Their expertise and services broadened to include student recruiting, fund raising, curriculum design and establishment of campuses in other countries.

Fred retired in 1997 and is having fun and success as a humorist.  His pieces have appeared in San Francisco Magazine, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and the New York Times.

Fred credits much of his good fortune to the dedicated teachers at Roosevelt, who cared about us kids. “Thanks for being there when I needed you most!”