Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in memory of Fred M. Fehsenfeld, a Hoosier, an innovator, a philanthropist, and a true American hero. Fred was born in Indianapolis in 1924, and he graduated from Shortridge High School. As a sophomore at Purdue University in 1942, he left school to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Fred flew 89 missions in Europe with the 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group. He was awarded the Air Medal with three silver clusters and a Silver Star. He also led the 353rd fighter squadron on the last official flight in the European theatre, where he barrel-rolled over an Austrian POW camp to signal that the war in Europe was over. After the war, Fred returned to Indiana and married Midge, his college sweetheart. He graduated from Purdue in 1948. The couple had seven children. He was married to Midge for 57 years before she passed. In 2003, he married Barbara, his lovely second wife. Upon entering the workforce, Fred was operating Crystal Flash Petroleum, which owned gas stations around the State of Indiana, when he decided he needed a new adventure. So, in 1960, Fred went to the library and taught himself how to manufacture asphalt. His companies literally began paving what we in Indiana call the Crossroads of America. Over the years, Fred gave his company his all. He grew The Heritage Group to more than 6,500 employees worldwide, and he tackled real-world problems along the way.…”