Fred G. DeLacerda

Fred's life was marked by an extraordinary curiosity and a lifelong appetite for learning, competition, and new challenges. From classrooms and athletic fields to university research, aerobatic competition, cycling, and coaching, he rarely stopped learning - or teaching others what he had learned.

Born in the small Louisiana town of Many, Fred was valedictorian of his high school before attending Louisiana Tech, where he earned his degree with majors in math and history and minors in biology and chemistry. After working in the oil industry, he returned to his hometown to teach high school and coach football and track for three years.

In the mid-1960s, Fred was awarded an NDE fellowship that enabled him to attend Louisiana State University, where he studied anatomy and kinesiology. He received an M.S. in 1969 and a Ph.D. in 1971 in exercise physiology/human performance. While in graduate school, Fred worked in several capacities for the LSU Athletic Department, including serving as proctor at the athletic dorm. His lifelong love of LSU was cemented during those years. He also worked directly with Athletic Director Carl Maddox in athletic administration, including the development of plans for women's athletics (before Title VIII). He was offered the position of associate director of women's programs at LSU but declined in order to continue his work in sports sciences.

After teaching at Tennessee Tech, Fred attended the University of Tennessee Medical School to obtain a postdoctoral degree in physical therapy. Years later, while his wife, Melissa, was in law school, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University - in characteristic fashion, simply to occupy his time.

Teaching and research remained central to Fred's professional life. He taught at USL (now the University of Louisiana-Lafayette) and at OSU, teaching anatomy, kinesiology, and exercise physiology. He was named Outstanding Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1976. He also published numerous research articles and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Orthopedic and Sport Physical Therapy.

Competition was another constant throughout Fred's life. While in graduate school, he competed in AAU weightlifting and became the Southern AAU bantamweight champion. He also loved watching elite athletes compete and attended two Olympic Games, two NCAA Track and Field Championships, seven NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, the U.S. Open, the Pac-10 Track and Field Championship, and the Tour de Georgia Professional Cycling Race.

Flying eventually gave Fred a way to bring together many of the things he loved most: learning, teaching, competition, research, and the pursuit of mastery. He earned his private pilot license in the mid-1970s and opened Delta Aviation in 1985. For more than 20 years, he taught private pilot and aerobatic instruction, helping many young men and women achieve their goal of earning a private pilot's license.

Determined to deepen his expertise and make flying as safe as possible, Fred began studying and practicing aerobatics. He owned several high-performance airplanes and competed at increasingly advanced levels, culminating in an International Aerobatic Club Championship in 1994 and a national championship in 1997. He was also a contributing author to Sports Aerobatics magazine, writing at least ten articles per year from 1990 to 2000, and chaired the Human Factors Program for the international organization.

Some of Fred and Melissa's most memorable years were intertwined with aerobatic flying. He entertained members of the Stillwater community by practicing his routines over the Stillwater Airport, often with Melissa on the ground coaching him by radio. Together they traveled from Wisconsin to Texas for aerobatic competitions.

Fred also authored several flying textbooks: See and Avoid: Collision Avoidance, Surviving Spins, Facts About Spins, and Peak Performance in Sport Psychology for Aerobatic Performance. In 1992, the Federal Aviation Administration named him Regional Flight Instructor of the Year for the Southwest Region.

When Fred stopped flying, he found another arena for competition: cycling. He competed in time-trial cycling races in numerous Midwestern states.

In 2017, he received the Achievement Award from the Sabine Parrish Hall of Fame.

Even in retirement, he continued to teach and encourage young athletes, coaching the Stillwater High School women's cross country and track teams for several years.

Fred's accomplishments were many, but the partnership at the center of his life was with Melissa. In his upper 30s, Fred married for the first and only time to Melissa, a Tigerette at LSU, beginning a 50-year partnership. He encouraged her to attend law school and supported her through school and throughout her legal career. In 2003, when Melissa served as President of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Fred proudly served as First Gentleman of the OBA.

Fred also loved his dogs, who were an important part of his life. Muffin, Sassy, Penny, and Stormy miss him.

In his final years, vascular dementia gradually limited the independence and energy that had defined so much of Fred's life and ultimately took his life. It could not, however, diminish the remarkable breadth of what he had learned, taught, built, written, competed in, or shared with others over the course of his life.

Fred is survived by his wife, Melissa, and his doggies; his brother and sister-in-law, Ted and Judy; nieces Jeanna and Tina; and nephew Jeffrey. He was predeceased by his parents, Arthur and Elizabeth DeLacerda, as well as Calico, Patch, Chaney, Molly, Mickey, Buffy and Suzy.

A celebration of his life will be held on Thursday, September 24th at 6:00 p.m. at Dighton Marler Funeral Home, 5106 N. Washington St., Stillwater, Oklahoma.