A. Frederick Gerstell ’60

Fred died Feb. 23, 2019, after a long illness. His father, Robert 1917, and daughter, Andrea ’86, placed him in the middle of three generations of Tigers. He was the third generation of his family to serve as chairman of a New York Stock Exchange-listed cement company — his father and grandfather at Alpha Portland Cement and Fred at California Portland, later renamed CalMat (which was aquired by Vulcan Materials in 1998).

He was a keen swimmer at Lawrenceville and at Princeton, where he majored in psychology and dined at Cottage. After graduation Fred joined the Army for two years active and four years reserve service, graduating as staff sergeant. He then trained for a position in the cement business. He began his career at Alpha Portland in 1962, then took his skills to California Portland in 1975, where he rose to become president and later CEO, retiring there as vice chairman of Vulcan Materials in 2001. He remarked that after 41 years in the industry he had been in cement longer than Jimmy Hoffa.

Fred served on the Rand Corp. Infrastructure Safety and Environment Advisory Board in later years as well as numerous Los Angeles causes. 

Fred is survived by his three daughters, sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. He is remembered fondly by his last wife, Susi Spies.