Frederick M. Pownall ’59

A lover of fast cars, fast motorcycles, and fast boats, Fred Pownall left us May 20, 2017, with his “girls” (wife Susie and daughters Alison, Perrin, and Sarah) by his side.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Fred attended Andover in preparation for Princeton. An architecture major, he put the shot on the varsity track team and joined Tiger Inn.

When the end for Fred drew near in February, eight of his Tiger Inn section-mates flew to San Francisco to spend a last weekend with him. Fred took special pleasure in reconnecting with Princeton friends by phone, travel, or at Reunions.

Commissioned an ensign from Navy OCS, Fred received training in deep-sea diving in the murky waters of Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia River. Married to Susie Sparrow in 1961, he departed for tropical living at his duty station in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He earned a law degree from Boalt Hall at U.C. Berkeley that launched him on an impressive career in law and government.

As a partner in San Francisco’s Landels Ripley law firm, Fred represented major banking and environmental clients, becoming one of California’s foremost experts in those fields. This led to the formation of Kahl Pownall Companies, now KP Public Affairs, the largest lobbying and public-affairs firm in California. He then spent several years as director in public finance at CitiBank.

We have expressed condolences to Fred’s “girls.”