Fred C. Cunningham, whose service for the city of Beverly Hills spanned more than half a century, passed away on April 18 at the age of 97. Born in Minneapolis, Cunningham served as a US Army Air Corp Lieutenant Colonel in World War II. He served on the USS Intrepid in the Pacific Theater. While on the Intrepid, Fred experienced a variety of naval battles including at Peleliu, Mindanao, Okinawa, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of World War II. He survived three Kamikaze attacks and earned an array of medals and ribbons for his service.
Fred received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Montana, courtesy of the GI Bill, as he was fond of saying. After graduation, he taught Radio Speech and Radio Drama at the University and became the University Sports Information Director. In 1952, he began his long tenure with the city of Beverly Hills. He worked first as an intern for the Administration Officer, then moved to the Public Information office. His last position, which he left in 1993, was Executive Director of Public Affairs. He then volunteered for 10 years more. All together, he served 32 mayors and 60 city council members.
