[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 201 (Thursday, December 20, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1691-E1692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING FRED FEHSENFELD, SR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TODD ROKITA

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2018

  Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a veteran, business 
leader, pillar of the community, and close friend, Fred Fehsenfeld, Sr. 
Fred passed away on November 28 at the age of 94.
  Fred was the epitome of the Greatest Generation. Fred was born in 
Indianapolis in 1924, the third of four brothers. Fred enrolled at 
Purdue University at the age of 17. He found a passion for flying, 
joining the Purdue Glider Club and learning from, among others, Amelia 
Earhart. Ever the patriot, on his 18th birthday, Fred left Purdue and 
enrolled in the Army Air Corps. Just a few months later, he was 
assigned to the 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group in France, a famous 
fighter group of P5I Mustangs and P47 Thunderbolts. Fred flew 89 
missions in Europe and was awarded the Air Medal with three silver 
clusters and a silver star.
  After the war was over, Fred returned to Purdue and graduated with a 
bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Fred began his career at 
Rock Island Refining as a Process Engineer. A few years later, he was 
asked by his dad, to join the original family business, Crystal Flash 
Petroleum, a company that operated gas stations and sold home heating 
oil.
  He then took over the business from his father and showed his true 
entrepreneurial spirit. He grew Crystal Flash Petroleum from 100 
employees, operating gas stations and home heating oil sales in Indiana 
and Michigan into what has evolved as The Heritage Group. The Heritage 
Group currently employs 6,500 people around the world, with operations 
across

[[Page E1692]]

North America, Europe and China. In 2017, in recognition for his work 
on behalf of the State of Indiana, I-895 was renamed the ``Fred M. 
Fehsenfeld Highway.''
  I know his passion for improving our highways firsthand. He knew that 
America needed to change how we managed traffic and freight movement. 
This knowledge led to the creation of Critical Commerce Corridors. 
Critical Commerce Corridors are a simple idea that we separate cars and 
trucks using physical barriers. Fred presented this idea to me, and his 
enthusiasm convinced me that this idea was something our country should 
pursue. It was because of him that Critical Commerce Corridors were 
included in the most recent highway bill reauthorization, passed into 
law in 2015.
  Fred was a devoted, loving husband to his wife of 57 years, Midge 
Fehsenfeld, who passed away in 2003 and to his surviving wife, Barbara 
Fehsenfeld, of 15 years. He is survived by Barbara, brother Mac, five 
children, twenty grandchildren, and twenty-four great grandchildren. 
All of us who knew him and were impacted by his generosity, kindness, 
and loyalty will truly miss him. I ask everyone to keep his family in 
your prayers.

                          ____________________