Fricks Sr., Gerald R.   	 

Services for Gerald R. Fricks Sr. will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, 
June 2, 2007, at the Craig Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. 
H.C. Rockmore Sr. officiating. Interment will follow in Rosewood 
Park. Arrangements are by Craig Funeral Home.

Fifty-three years of life came to an end at 5 a.m. May 25, 2007, 
for Gerald R. Fricks Sr.

He was born in Longview, the older of two children born to the 
late German Fricks and Eva Brown Fricks.

He joined Galilee Baptist Church at the age of nine, under Rev. 
J.T. Leake, pastor, and remained a member until 1975. He served 
his country in the United States Army and received an honorable 
discharge.

A graduate of Longview High School, Class of '71, the self-
described "skinny black kid from Longview, Texas," felt an 
instant kinship with the people of Texas Tech University and 
Lubbock and wound up graduating in 1975 with a bachelor of arts 
in journalism - the first African American to do so. Gerald 
state, "the people of Texas Tech and Lubbock really made the 
difference." His mother brought him there for freshman 
orientation in 1971, and she liked the mannerisms of the 
people in Lubbock.

At the time of his death, he was executive director of Mothers 
Against Drunk Driving in Oklahoma and had established quite a 
track record, bringing honor upon himself and his alma mater 
along the way.

After graduation from Texas Tech University, Mr. Fricks served as 
deputy press secretary for Congressman Jerry Litton of Missouri, 
now deceased. In 1976, he was a television reporter at KARD-TV in 
Wichita, Kan. In 1977, at the age of 21, he became one of the 
nation's youngest YMCA executive directors with stints in North 
Carolina, Kansas, Washington and Texas.

In 1985, Gerald was appointed marketing/community relations 
manager for Dallas Fair Park and was instrumental in implementing 
Fair Park's neighborhood community relations partnerships. He was 
a finalist for the Dallas NAACP Juanita Craft Award for community 
services and was awarded the Dallas Excellence in Service Award. 
He became the first Dallas employee appointed by the city council 
to serve on the South Dallas Fair Park Trust Fund Board. At Fair 
Park, he met everybody from the Rolling Stones to Queen Elizabeth 
and the first President Bush.

One day, Ashton Thornhill, another outstanding grad, made a 
photograph of Mr. Fricks at KTXT , which was published in his 
hometown newspaper in Longview. Mr. Fricks' pride started growing 
and was only enhanced on two trips to Los Angeles related to his 
work at the university. On one of the trips, in 1973, singer Barry 
White had Mr. Fricks flown to Los Angeles and presented him with a 
gold record as thanks for promoting White's work in Lubbock.

On June 1, 1976, he married Renee LaFaye Woodard from Oklahoma City, 
Okla. To this union, three sons were born.

Loving memories will forever be cherished by his devoted wife, 
Renee of Oklahoma City, Okla.; sons, Gerald R. Fricks Jr. of 
Carrollton and Stephen and Brian Fricks of Oklahoma City, Okla.; 
loving mother, Eva Brown Fricks of Longview; brother, Cedric Fricks 
of Longview; one aunt, Alla V. McCray of Longview; two uncles, A.Z. 
and Dorothy Brown of Longview and L.V. Brown of Richmond, Calif.; 
father-in-law, Nathanial Woodard; brothers-in-law, Cedric Woodard 
and the Rev. Carlos Woodard, all of Oklahoma City, Okla. and Reggie 
Woodard of Memphis, Tenn.; sisters-in-law, Pam and Audrey Woodard; 
and other cousins and acquaintances.

Published in the Longview News-Journal on 5/31/2007.