Charles Frederickson

Charles Frederickson, 90, of Sewell, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 29, 2025.  

                          Charles Frederickson – Making a Difference

Charles Leon Frederickson was born 17 March 1935 in Cuba Missouri to Andrew Charles Frederickson & Olga Arlene Branson Frederickson. He attended several grade schools in Decatur Illinois, Cuba Missouri, St. Louis Missouri and Boody Illinois and high school in Blue Mound and Decatur Illinois.  After working for a year, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard where served a total of 4 years as a (1) a seaman apprentice Ohio River Buoy tender, (2) Ocean Station Victor out of Honolulu HI standing Quartermaster watches and (3) port security in New London CT as Boarding Officer and Officer of the Deck on a 95’ patrol boat. 

After leaving the Coast Guard he married his wife June who worked to gain finances along with the GI bill to attend the University of Illinois where he was inducted into the following honorary Societies (1) Chi Gamma Iota, (2) Phi Eta Sigma, (3) Sigma Tau, and (4) Phi Tau Sigma. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Charles and June served as youth directors at the first Baptist Church in Urbana Illinois while at the University of Illinois.

The Naval Weapon Center, China Lake, Ca hired Charles in August 1962 as a Junior Professional (JP) after he graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He was employed at the Center until 1990 except for 18 months with the U.S. Army Missile Command, Chaparral Management Office, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, AL. After leaving the Center, Charles was employed by support contractors working with center personnel.

Since coming to Ridgecrest, Charles has attended Immanuel Baptist Church for 48 years and he held a number of leadership offices to include Sunday school leader, Deacon, Immanuel Christian School (ICS) Committee Member, usher, and Sunday school teacher. Charles built the ICS desks for the first class.

Charles completed all courses for a Masters Degree in Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); however, did not complete the thesis requirements. Subsequently he received a Masters degree in Public Administration from California State Bakersfield in 1982.

His broad experience was a logical progression from engineering design to technical management. This experience includes (a) design on small missile airframes, warheads, propulsion, and interface control (Sidewinder and Chaparral) during which time he published about 30 technical reports, (b) Test and Evaluation Manager at Army Command Level (Forward Area Alerting Radar), (c) Technical Line Management (Head Structures Mechanics Branch, Head Quality Assurance Branch, Associate Head Product Assurance Division, Head Production Engineering Branch), (d) Project Technical Management (Missile Manager Condor Technical Office, Rolling Airframe Technical Manager, Sidearm Technical Manager, and Second Source Phoenix Product Assurance Manager), and (e) Contracting Officers Technical Representative (COTR) on the Center 5 year / $100M Engineering Support Contract.

Charles served on a number of special assignments that included (a) Demonstration Project Trainer (Scientists and Engineers, Technicians), (b) Center representative on NAVMAT Cost Driver Panel, (c) Professional Recruiter, (d) AIM9L - AN/DAW-1 Comparison for OPNAV, (e) Product Assurance Team Leader on two 1 year NAVMAT Cruise Missile failure Investigations, (f) Technical representative on Center Acquisition Requirements/ Data Requirements Review Board (AR/DRRB), and (g) Center Environmental Requirements Review Board (EQRP).

Charles developed and taught a number of technical classes that included (a) Production Process Overview (b) Program Planning and Control, (c) Work Breakdown Structures, (d) Source Selection, (e) Production Readiness Reviews, and (f) Program Planning and Control. In addition, he developed and taught Quality Assurance and Process Improvement semester classes at Cerro Coso Community College, Ridgecrest CA. 

His Source Selection Handbook was used by NAVAIR as a standard for training on major Weapon systems. He was frequently requested to perform Source Selection training by NAVAIR for programs that included Phoenix, Sidewinder, Sparrow, Advanced Intercept Weapon System, Remote Piloted Vehicles (RPVs). 

 Charles received three Center Commanders awards for his efforts and was nationally recognized on the National Honor Roll for the 1987 Blanche Whitte Award by the National Management Association. He was used as a technical consultant on Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) (Germany) and Penguin (Norway) NATO programs. His Weapon Systems Specification Guide was used by a number of projects to assist in development of system specifications.

Charles received the NWC Fellow award for his efforts in the field of Source selection and the Production Process. Charles enjoyed being an instructor and really enjoyed the field of leadership.

Charles was a qualified instructor at the Leadership and Management School (LAMS) associated with the Coast Guard Academy. He served in Coast Guard Auxiliary where he served as (1) Career Counselor (CC) where he mentored a number of candidates for the Coast Guard Academy of which 4 are now Coast Guard officers, (2) Minority Introduction to engineering (MITE) (3) Qualified Instructor on leadership at the Coast Guard Academy, (4) served as Coast Guard Auxiliary National Staff Officer as Branch Chief in Leadership and (5) served as Coast Guard Auxiliary national staff officer as National Division Chief for leadership training.

Charles was preceded in death by his Wife June Joyce Frederickson, Mother Olga Arlene Frederickson, Father Andrew Charles Frederickson. He has a Daughter Cheryl Lyn Plett, Son Michel David Frederickson, and seven grandchildren: Melinda Plett, Gregory Plett, Evan Plett, Emily Plett, Jonathan Frederickson, Christopher Frederickson, and Ash Sunshine Piper.  He also has two great grandsons, Ethan Plett and Riley Plett. He has one brother David Lyn Frederickson and two nephews Justin Frederickson and Trever Frederickson. 

 Farewell Tribute 

 Services will be at a later date in California.

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