Ketchikan coach Kelly Smith said

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“If I had a critical game to be on the court for, Freddy was that partner I would want to be with in those days of two-man officiating crews,” Perkins said. “I knew this, if we took the floor together in a critical game, the coaches would see him walk on to the court, and they knew that he would give the game his best effort and they knew the game would be taken care of. That’s what we want as officials – to do that. He was that unwavering, consistent, approachable, game manager as a referee. Consistent, calm, respectful, rules knowledge-based arbiter that earned the respect of coaches, players and fans because of his calm focused manner on the court. I loved being a partner with him and would want him in any big game as a partner – and I believe that coaches, players, and fans in our days saw the same… When sitting on the couch with Freddy in Wrangell, I enjoyed listening to a proud dad. He loved being that husband to his Sumi. He loved being that dad to his sons. I loved listening to that passionate love that he had for Family…”

1996 Haines graduate and current Mt. Edgecumbe coach country wise email marketing list Andrew Friske said, “I knew Fred from the players’ perspective growing up in Haines and traveling to Wrangell…I didn’t think much about the officiating and focused on playing hard. However, I remembered feeling that the games were always crazy competitive but also controlled and fair due to Fred’s expertise and game management skills as a referee. Fred was one of the best officials that Region V has had and probably in the state of Alaska. Fred was a professional on the court and he was a great guy off the court as well.”

, “When I became the head coach I remember making a fool of myself in Wrangell and Fred was reffing. He talked to me in the stern father voice to let me know I was being out of control. The next day I walked into his store and he treated me with respect and told me Southeast stories for a couple hours. Great guy, great ambassador for Southeast.”

Rick Brock, a former Wolves graduate who now teaches and coaches in Petersburg said, “The state of Alaska’s basketball community has lost an icon. I cherish my memories of him as a player, ref and friend. He meant so much to so many. Fred was my basketball hero when I was a kid. His 1975 championship team was incredible to watch, they would get into triple digits without the three-point line! We used to go before the JV game started so we could get a seat in the front row in the bleachers on the stage. Back then the programs had a place for you to keep track of how many points the players scored. Freddy’s column was always full! Can still see his jump shot in my mind, perfect form.”