Frederick “Fred” Sudermann ’58/60, the 1989 WSU Alumni Recognition Award recipient, said in his acceptance remarks: “The only real job security is doing a good job that needs doing.”
Sudermann excelled in many jobs that needed doing.
Artist, husband and father as well as educator and administrator, he began his tenure at Wichita State in 1963 as assistant to the treasurer. He soon became special services director, and four presidents later — Corbin, Lindquist, Ahlberg and Armstrong — he had risen to the position of executive assistant to the president and vice president for governmental and industrial relations and had played key roles in the development of the National Institute for Aviation Research, the Center for Entrepreneurship and many others.
Two more presidents — Hughes and Beggs — also saw the university benefit from Sudermann’s expertise, notably as senior advisor to the National Institute for Aviation Research. Gerald “Skip” Loper, former WSU associate vice president for research, credits Sudermann with helping establish Wichita State as a strong research school, in part by significantly increasing the amount of grants the university received.
And back in 1989, James Rhatigan, dean emeritus of students, described his colleague this way: “He is known throughout the United States as a person of the highest caliber — we are fortunate to have someone with that ability on our campus.”
Fred Sudermann died Aug. 9 in Wichita.
