After graduating from Oregon College of Education in Monmouth in 1972 with a degree in Art Education, Fred moved to Washougal, Washington. He opened Impression from Earth, a fine crafts gallery with a large pottery studio in the back. He ran the gallery and made pottery full-time until 1980 when he moved to Salem and became the resident potter at the Bush Barn. He taught classes and continued making pottery until moving to Nicaragua in 2004. There he joined Robert Piller and volunteered extensively with Potters for Peace. He moved back to Salem in 2014. Fred has volunteered and taught various pottery classes at the WAC since his return.