G. Fred Wickman, former Star columnist and educator, dies at age 77

As a child, Gustav Frederick Wickman asked everyone to call him G. Fred, hoping to take control of his own identity. Still, his friends preferred ‘Freddy’. His father’s friends called him “Little Gus.” And his mother insisted on ‘Sunny’ because of his cheerful personality.

As a reporter, Wickman set his byline as G. Fred Wickman, destroying the nicknames. But the bright character stuck.

Wickman, a beloved star writer and keeper of Kansas City lore, died April 27 after a battle with persistent health problems. He was 77.

Wickman was born on July 6, 1946 in Springfield, Missouri. At the age of 8, he knew he wanted to be a reporter.

“He wanted to save the world through journalism,” said Wickman’s wife, Rosanne.

Wickman proudly attended the University of Missouri to study journalism. After graduating in 1968, he served in the U.S. Navy, working on a nuclear-powered ship and then as a recruiter in St. Louis.

He took a job at The Star in 1973 and stayed there for 23 years, rising from suburban night reporter to local government reporter. For fourteen of those years, he shared a workplace with his wife, whom he met when they were both members of the national board of the Society of Professional Journalists.

“Fred had three great loves,” says his wife. “Journalism, baseball and me.”

Years of writing about Kansas City made Wickman a community figure, with dozens of colorful stories to share. Wickman wrote the popular At Your Service column, in which readers signed up for help with difficult situations. Until 1995, he also wrote the column About Town, in which he highlighted the activities of local non-profit organizations.

After leaving The Star, Wickman taught a newswriting course at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He also advised the student newspaper, then called UNews, and served as a news writer for the Quill & Scroll Society.

Wickman was a staunch supporter of student press freedom and mentored his student editors throughout their lives, says former UNews editor-in-chief Melissa Oribhabor Reeves.

“HWe respected ourselves as adults,” Reeves said. “He was kind and he was brilliant and there was nothing you could ask him that he wouldn’t give you a serious answer.”

A lifelong fan of the Kansas City Royals, Wickman coached baseball in Kansas City for decades, watching his son Ben and then the children of friends and colleagues in the youth leagues.

The Wickmans also enjoyed traveling to both coasts and visiting family, always with sports magazines and a copy of National Geographic in tow.

“He was a serious journalist, he was a good friend, he was a caring mentor, he was just a good man, and this world is less cool now that he’s not in it anymore,” Reeves said.

Wickman’s funeral will take place on May 9. He is survived by his wife, Rosanne, son, Ben, and four grandchildren.