The Tom Fredian Memorial Scholarship is offered in memory of Thomas V. Fredian, a founding member, senior practitioner and former president of PRAM Mississippi Beach.

Fredian, a native of Chicago, resided on the Mississippi Gulf Coast from 1976 until his death in 1999. Fredian began his 23-year career in public relations after retiring from the Navy in 1974. He spent his entire civil service career as the Public Affairs Officer of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Headquarters at Stennis Space Center, Miss. He retired from civil service in 1997. At the time of his death, he was working as a part time special projects assistant for Analysis & Technology in Bay St. Louis.

During his career, Fredian received two Navy Civilian Meritorious Awards, a Superior Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the Navy and CNMOC Employee of the Year. He helped found PRAM’s Mississippi Beach chapter in 1993 and served as chapter president in 1995. He was honored as PRAM Mississippi Beach’s senior practitioner in 1994.

Fredian also assumed a leadership role in the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s public relations and retired military communities. He was a driving force behind educational outreach programs on the Coast including the JASON Project and Navy’s Project Marco Polo.

He was also involved in community education programs including the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Mississippi’s first children’s museum, and the 44^th International Science and Engineering Fair. He chaired the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce’s annual Salute to the Military Committee for seven years.

In recognition of Fredian’s many contributions to the field of public relations and education in Mississippi, PRAM Mississippi Beach established the Tom Fredian Memorial Scholarship in 2000. The $500 scholarship is offered annually for the study of public relations at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach.