Alumni Profile – Frederick G. Pfannenstiehl ’59

A graduate of Tufts University with a degree in economics, Fred came to higher education after serving in the Navy and working at IBM. He received his commission in the Navy in November of 1963, and served on a destroyer, the USS Warrington, in an anti-submarine warfare group until 1966; Fred continues his connection with the Navy as a trustee and treasurer of the USS Constitution Museum.

Pfannenstiehl is active in a number of other organizations in the Boston area. He has served on the Board of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and is Vice Chairman of the Board of the Mt. Washington Cooperative Bank in South Boston. He is also on the Domestic Advisory Board of the Boston Private Bank and Trust Company. The father of three grown children, Craig, Curt, and Christy, and two grandsons, Fred lives in Wayland with his wife, Julia.

Over the years, Fred has offered his educational expertise to Rivers in a number of ways, serving as a trustee from 1979 to 1988 and as a member of the Finance Committee from 1987 to 1988. Currently he is serving on the Campaign Committee and Alumni Council Nominating Committee. “I think the strategic plan that Tom Olverson has developed for Rivers is right on target,” he said. “In the past few years I’ve seen how much has been done for the academic program and for the music school. I wanted to see the same kind of progress for athletics, so I’ve made a commitment to help with the capital campaign.”

He believes athletics is an integral part of a young person’s education. “It’s not just what they learn from working as a team; a good sports program gives them a great sense of pride in their school,” explained Pfannenstiehl, who played football, basketball, and baseball while at Rivers.

Fred is energized by the recent success of Rivers’ teams. “In my days, Rivers was so small it was hard to field strong, competitive teams. When I got to Tufts, I had so much to learn because we were playing Harvard, Boston College, and other Division 1 schools,” he said. “That’s all changing at Rivers.”

Another welcome change for Rivers was the adoption of coeducation. “I feel that the move to coeducation was done for all the right reasons and done well,” he said.
Through his work with the Campaign Committee, Fred is determined to help provide Rivers’ students with athletic facilities that can support strong teams in every sport and in every season. “At one point, it seemed that Rivers just couldn’t keep up in the ISL. Now our place there can’t be questioned,” he said.