In Memory Of Fred

We have all lost a dear and wonderful friend. I have known Fred since College and I have valued his friendship and the times we have spent together. Fred was a usher in my wedding, at my son's first birthday party and at his college graduation two years ago. His passing will leave a Hugh Hole.

I will also miss talking with Fred frequently about the fortunes of SDSU football, the Yankees and the NFL; and his plans for the future of which he had many. It is so tragic his life was cut so short. And Gary, we can never repay you for everything who have done for him.

Some stories that Fred has told me over the years:

In the early 1960's at SDSU, Fred assisted in broadcasting the SDSU football games from old Aztec bowl, part of which is now a historical landmark. One night game was so foggy that the game broadcaster , Al Coupee KOGO AM, a very colorful local sports broadcaster, could not see the field so he dispatched Fred to the sideline with a crude 1960's walkie-talkie to relay the action to the booth. The fog was so bad even Fred had problems seeing the plays. On one series of plays, the Aztecs were driving down the field and were on about the 5 yard line and Fred, on the next play, thought they had scored and reported that back to the booth. Unfortunately they actually fumbled and what Fred thought was the extra point was the first play for the other team. Fred corrected that and Al Coupee, Fred thought was ready to jump out the booth!

Fred's first job was at a local San Diego AM radio station that included a number of PR type events. One event had Fred picking the Mayor of San Diego, Mayor Curran in a limo and transport him to a ribbon cutting party. There were food/drinks etc. and Fred gave the Mayor a cupcake with blue food dye which the mayor ate several. Unfortunely for the Mayor, the food dye stuck to his teeth and lips and the Mayor however preceded to greet people and skake hands etc. I guess no one had the nerve to tell him how he looked!

When Fred had access to limos, he often asked the limo driver to drive through Jack-in-the-Box on the way back. Fred was not much of a cook. His idea of cleaning the kitchen was with a dust rag. When he move to his first apt. in LA, he invited me over for dinner. It consisted of burnt to a crisp frozen hamburger patty and instant potatoes that were awful and we ended up in a near-by restaurant. Fred never cooked for me again.

Fred had a uncle ( real character) who sold new Fords. Fred and I both bought new 1969 mustangs Mach 1's from his uncle with 8-cyl 408 cubic engine - the best cars we ever owned and what power. They actually appreciated in price for a while. Fred took his car into the service dept. for maintenance where his uncle worked and his uncle sold the car somehow and made a nice profit which he shared with Fred, but of course lost his prize car. That was as mad as I had ever seen Fred.

Fred prior to getting married dated frequently and his roommate Tom Echols (also deceased) did not even though he was a self styled expert on women. Fred meet a waitress (Becky) at a Coco's in Fullerton one year and decided to feature her in KNX 1070 billboards all over town - actually the billboard had Fred and Becky walking on the beach. Fred got a door sized Poster and pasted on his bedroom door just to aggravate Tom Echols which it did.

Dick Watkins

I would just like to say that I have been a long time employee of KDOC TV and a big fan of the Pet Place . I have been to many of the tapings, helped out with the telethons, and been to many of the very worthy award luncheons. Fred's dedication to helping our homeless pets has been such an inspiration to me and I'm sure animal lovers everywhere. I too adopted a cat from the Pet Place show, he is now 15 years old and has brought me a lot of joy. Everyone involved with the Pet Place should feel so proud of themselves because of the shows success. We all know Fred wanted his work to continue. The Pet Place show reaches out to so many people and helps them find new pets. I've heard that the success rate is continuing strong with the new host Mickey Laszlo. We are all hoping that Pet Place will continue for a long time to come, that would be the best way we can all remember Fred and honor his dream.

HEIDI O'NEIL
Executive Assistant for:
President and General Manager of KDOC TV

The best part of the relationship I shared with Fred was the amount of fun we had together. He took me to the horse races for the first time and we had a blast, even if most of fun was derived from the food and incredible dessert and not from winning money or watching the ponies. I think that was also what bonded us as friends; our love of food and good company to share it with. Be it Musso and Franks, Phillipes, The Smoke House, Moes or the Toluca Lake Tennis Club we always found time for a good meal and plenty of laughs to go along with it.
I'll very much miss him ordering half diet Coke and half regular Coke as that epitomizes to me Fred's quirky sense of rational.

He was a good man, a good friend and someone that showed me that you can be a nice and good person and still accomplish a lot.

God bless you Fred as God blessed those that knew you.

Greg Hayward

Please accept my condolesences upon learning about the death of Fred Bergendorff. I'm a KNX veteran, so had the benefits of knowing Fred, his friendly manner and thorough consideration of others. I was in the newsroom ... and a newcomer at one point, but Fred was always gracious with my questions and conversation. He represented a time at KNX that no longer exists and did it with grace ... toward the end, grace under fire.

Sincerely,
Pat Larsen, KNX Newswriter

Fred Bergendorff was a friend and a gentleman. He knew marketing. Everything he did was with class. His dog show was produced not for the money, but for all the right reasons: to save animals. No one loved animals more than Fred and The Pet Place was a true labor of love for him. His kindness for me never wavered. He was a broadcaster, a gentleman, and every animal's best friend and champion. We will miss you, Fred.

Kim Kelly, former Marketing Director, ARROW 93FM

Robert and I were so sorry to hear of Fred's passing. As did so many others, we greatly admired him for all the good he did. Fred was a man to be honored for his compassion and tireless efforts on behalf of animals. His passing is a great loss to all the people and pets who were touched by his loving kindness.

Corrine Hanley

I was so hoping and praying that Fred would recover. The world has lost a special person as I have lost a special friend.

My volunteer job with Long Beach Animal Control began with the Pet Place, it was about 18 years ago that the Pet Place was born in Long Beach. At the same time, the volunteer program at the old Long Beach Animal Shelter was starting up and the Pet Place was my first assignment. In those days we loaded up 12 animals for the show, 6 in the first segment and 6 in the last. That went on for quite some time until other shelters started sharing the time. As the shows went on so did my volunteer responsibilities to where I was the one who chose the animals the day before. We would then send one†to Doggie In The Window for grooming†and comb and put bows or bandanas on the rest. We all so appreciated the Pet Place, it was an avenue for helping find homes for the lost and abandoned pets and what was really special, it was FREE to us. I hardly ever missed a Pet Place taping (probably only five) in all those years and was even filling in for Fred at Charter Communications since his surgery and also when he lived in Las Vegas. Friends of Long Beach Animals always supported the Pet Place, we all knew how very special it was for the animals to have a program like this. As Wesley Moore of LBAC said "when Fred started the Pet Place no one else was featuring homeless pets, it was his idea that started news shows and others to feature a pet once a week or daily on their program." Even though the Long Beach Pet Place is no more, Fred's legacy will live on through other programing and hopefully the KDOC Pet Place will continue for years to come.

The picture I am sending includes myself with my blind cat Rodney, who is a Pet Place alumni, he has been in my home and heart for 13 years now.

Shirley Vaughan

What a sad, sad day for all of us who knew and loved Fred. He was a very special person whose career at KNX Newsradio played an enormous role in the success of the station. What a loss. Betty joins me in sending our heartfelt condolences to his family.

George Nicolaw

I am very sorry to learn of Fred's passing, but know he is free of any pain now and in good health and seeing his precious pets again. I enjoyed working with him as a Pet Place volunteer and know he had a big heart for animals and wanted to find loving homes for all the adoptable cats, dogs, and bunnies.

Sincerely,
Margie Olds

I've been volunteering on The Pet Place for the past 7 1/2 years. It was†a pleasure to work with everyone on the show. Fred always cared so much about the animals the were presented on the show. He always loved to hear about the animals that were adopted because they were seen on The Pet Place. He surprised me on my 6 year anniversary, of working on the show, and†did a one on one interview with me about how much it meant to me to work on the show. To me, Fred will be remembered for his true love of animals and of finding good homes for the ones that were in the shelters and being fostered by rescue groups.

Diane Sandison

I join the others with a profound feeling of shock and sadness at Fred's passing. I was hopeful he would rally from his debilitation, but it obviously was too much for him. He didn't deserve the pain and suffering. I truly believe he is in a better place. A peaceful place. I know he just wanted to go home, out of that hospital, out of that rehab place. Now he has.

I knew Fred from day one at KNX, and our friendship continued long after both of us were gone from the station. So many stories. So many memories. Not all for print. To put it simply, he was a gentle man, really a good, caring man. We shared many times together, had a lot of laughs too.

I thought it appropriate to pass along a poem which I found many years ago and which, sadly, has been used too often over the years when dear friends and family have passed. I hope it gives all of you some solace now ... and I hope it might be shared at Fred's service as well. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of Fred's friends and family.

Arlen Peters

A person never dies until no one remembers them. As long as you keep them in your mind and in your heart, they will always live on.

Cindy and I were saddened to hear of Fred's passing. He was truly a man who loved animals and person the entire humane community should miss. Fred was a kind, wonderful friend who always took his precious time to sit and talk or offer his encouragement during my career in Animal Services. I will miss Fred but will always have his memory in my heart. God bless Fred for he is now at peace.

John Gonzales

I am so deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, Fred. Fred gave me the opportunity to show my love for animals by being involved with The Pet Place. My first meeting with him was a promo we taped for an upcoming telethon. I then was given a time slot on the show for our "On The Go" segments as well as working behind the scenes and eventually filling in when he was unable to host. Over the years Fred became a very supportive friend and colleague. It is disheartening to know the extent of pain he has gone through over these past several months, but comforting to know that he is now at peace. My prayers go out to all of Fred's family and friends. He will be missed.

Love,
Mickey Laszlo

I have been trying to write this, but I haven't known where or how to start. I should probably start by saying that I cannot believe this all happened so fast, but I am so thankful that Fred is no longer suffering. I know it had been a terrible road for the past few months, and no one should have to live their life in pain. Thank you Gary for doing such an amazing job of taking care of Fred, and all of his affairs, through this difficult time (and long before). You really were his right-hand man! I know how difficult it must have been to watch a close friend deteriorate; Fred was extremely lucky to have you in his life.

On to the memories...

It was a complete fluke that I met Fred and was introduced to The Pet Place. When I was 10 years old we adopted a dog from the show, when I was 20 or 21 I was looking for a volunteer opportunity that involved animals, remembering the show I Googled it, emailed Fred, and the rest is history!

For the past 4 years I have been lucky enough to work with Fred on the show and most of its various events. Although I was young when I first met Fred, he never held that against me. ÊHe always treated me as a professional, entrusted me with many different responsibilities and passed his production/communications wisdom on to me. Without him I do not think I would have been given the opportunity to become so involved.

I cannot begin to recount all of the funny, frustrating, unbelievable, touching, stressful and crazy (to name a few) moments we have all shared with Fred and the animals. Fred and I shared a love for Vegas and Greek food, he liked to hear all about my life, especially my travels, and every time I saw him he would ask if I was engaged yet. Some of the best times I can remember were when we all went out after the shows; that was when the most interesting conversations always took place!

Knowing Fred and working with him was truly an adventure, and I will never forget his friendship and the way he influenced my life. I have met so many wonderful people as a result of working with him. The Pet Place is an amazing creature to be a part of, and I am confident that the strong network of people he brought together will keep it going long into the future.

Love,
Amanda Nilos

"Help Us Keep Fred's Dream Alive"

Fred Bergendorff's wish was that The Pet Place would continue to carry on the legacy of his work - finding a home for every homeless pet. The Pet Place has always been a joint venture between animal lovers and the producers. Through generous contributions from viewers like you, the Pet Place has helped thousands of animals find loving, permanent homes. Please help us keep this project up and running. The Pet Place is a non-profit organization and your donations are tax deductible. Please send your contribution to The Pet Place, PO Box 16806, Irvine, CA 92623.

If you have comments or suggestions, or would like to be added to a planned e-mail list on upcoming news and activities, please e-mail executive producer Gary Lycan at garylycan@sbcglobal.net or editor-producer-director Marie Hulett at marie@marijeproductions.com. Include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

And, remember to support Ralphs and its Pet Club, our main supporting partner for the past two years and, we hope, for 2008. Thank you for supporting the Pet Place and Fred's Dream.

SPECIAL PET PLACE TV SHOW SUNDAY, FEB.17 AT 6:30 AM ON KDOC-TV

Pet Place TV Show watchers are encouraged to watch the Sunday, Feb. 17 Pet Place show at 6:30 a.m. on KDOC-TV. The program will show adoptable animals from several shelters and rescue groups and those "hosts" will share their memories of Fred Bergendorff.

The Feb. 17 show was taped Sat., Feb. 9 at the Irvine Animal Care left. Many who appeared were still going through the grieving process; all expressed hope the work that Fred did for so many years will continue on The Pet Place. Participants included Kathy Graves, Irvine; Kerrie Morgan, OCA; Russell Taylor, Modjeska Ranch Rescue; Aaron Reyes, Seaaca; Lance Hunter, LA County - Baldwin Park; Vicky Hernandez, Seaaca; Shirley Vaughn, Friends of Long Beach Animals; Deborah Turner; Diane Sandison; Maryanne Dell, OC Register & Pet Place Radio Show; Tammy Trujillo, KFWB anchor; Lynne Bartos, Greyhound Pets of America; Mickey Laszlo, new Pet Place host; Gary Lycan, executive producer. Other attendees included Amanda Nilos, John Brunkow, Hazel Wurfl, Bob Carlton, Margie Olds, and Michelle Mankhe. Fred's brother Erich also videotaped comments. Marie Hulett and her production company did an outstanding job. John Gonzales could not attend, but was taped a day earlier. The videotaped memories will be in the TV show, time permitting, and all will be in the video to be shown at the "Celebration of Fred's Life" event to be held in about one month or so.

From Gary Lycan, executive producer: "The Pet Place is a total team effort, and it would not be possible without three key people in my life and the show: editor-producer-director Marie Hulett, host Mickey Laszlo, and the person who keeps me lefted, focused and puts a smile on my face every day - Hazel Wurfl. Plus, of course, the 'love in the room' from the shelters and rescue groups; and everyone at Ralphs Grocery, KDOC-TV and KGIL 1260 & 540 AM."

Fred Bergendorff 1944-2008

Fred Bergendorff, 63, longtime KNX/1070 AM marketing director and creator of The Pet Place TV and radio shows, died January 27th in Brea after a long illness.

Bergendorff created the TV show in the early 1990's, first on the cable system in Long Beach and then on KDOC-TV, where it continues today on Sunday mornings with new host Mickey Laszlo.

A radio version of the TV show began in 2006 with KGIL 540 & 1260 AM. It continues Saturday mornings with Marie Hulett as host.

"Fred's goal was to find homes for all the adoptable animals.", said Gary Lycan, senior producer of the TV and radio shows, "and it was Fred's desire that it would be his legacy and our goal to continue his rewarding work to help shelters and rescue groups throughout Southern California. And that is our plan."

Bergendorff retired from KNX in 2002. He was hospitalized in October, 2007 for multiple muscular and nerve problems. He was receiving long-term therapy at Kindred Hospital Brea at the time of his death.

A "Celebration of Fred's Life" will be held in about one month, details to be announced, but the idea is to welcome all of Fred's friends and colleagues to an afternoon of memories, storytelling, and the kind of fun day Fred would appreciate. Pets, of course, welcome, too.

And a big THANK YOU!!! to everyone who has called or e-mailed to offer their support and encouragement for The Pet Place show to continue. You are all helping to keep Fred's dream alive, and if our funding is renewed, the show will go on, with Fred looking down on more adoptable animals from the area shelters and rescue groups. We are also considering introducing on the TV show a, "Fred" award to be given on a monthly basis to people or groups who are heroes to animals. So THANK YOU!!! for helping keep Fred's dream alive.

Please click here to read some great memories of Fred being shared.

 

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He's never been bitten, or even gotten fleas from this guests, though he does get more dog kisses in an evening than many folks get in a lifetime. "But one hazard of this is the dry-cleaning bills," he said. "I can only wear things one time before they have to go in again".

They tape every other week, two shows a night. Most of the animals are of mixed breeds. "He's a schnauzer, possibly," opined one shelter rep of the dog he'd brought to the show. And so it proceeds, with Bergendorff's sweater picking up hairs from semi-spaniels, shepherds, Airedales, terriers and various cats.

Some of the animals are handicapped. Along with a deaf purebred Brittany spaniel, Eileen Pinder of the Huntington Beach-based Orange County Humane Society brought on Emma, a dog that had been at the shelter for 2 1/2 months. Though blind, she still had eyes that said "love me," and it is the show's getting that look into people's homes that will probably place Emma in one of those homes.

"Let's please be responsible pet owners," Pinder reminded the audience. "It was pouring rain when Emma was found wandering."

Bergendorff has loved animals since he had pets as a kid. "And I've read all the books, 'Lassie,' 'Lad, a Dog,' and probably seen every pet movie that's ever been out. We had the animal stars of 'Homeward Bound, the Incredible Journey' come on the show. It was terrific. I don't know how I feel about human stars, but I was in awe of these animal stars. That's a favorite movie of mine."

He has only one pet of his own at present, a Maine Coon cat, but he also feeds a group of strays that live near his Long Beach home. It was one of these strays that led him to where he is now.

"One day in late 1989, this one little cute black cat from the group disappeared, and some people told me they thought it had been taken to the Long Beach animal shelter. Going there was the most important trip of my life, because it made me aware of the tremendous pet overpopulation the animal shelters are dealing with," he said.

He proposed to the shelter that he feature some of their animals on a local access cable show. He began doing that, and still does, and after a year began also doing the expanded version of the show on commercial station KDOC.

There have been a few rabbits, snakes and iguanas on the show, but nothing more exotic. "We encourage people not to get that kind of animal, because exotic animals belong in exotic places, not people's homes. By far, we feature cats and dogs because that's where the tragic pet overpopulation is that we try to address. There are between 15 and 25 million euthanized a year. Whatever the number, it's tragic to comprehend. We can't do anything about the rest of the country, but we can certainly do our best for our area," he said.

With no shortage of his own species suffering in the world, why does he feel drawn to animals?

"For me, one thing is that they can't speak for themselves. They have no voice, so some person needs to be the voice for them. And they look so in need of love and homes. They're so trusting. Give them a little food and take care of them and they give all this love in return."

The show alternately features animals from 22 Southland shelters. Some 96% of the animals featured become adopted, and he says that rate is 100% for the typically hard-to-place handicapped pets that Bergendorff makes a special effort in presenting. Some lucky times, owners see their missing pets on the show and are reunited.

The 4,000 featured pets that were adopted don't tell the whole story of the show's success. "The estimate we get from the shelters is that overall possibly as many as 15,000 animals have found homes because of the show. There's a reason why we do the show the way we do: People can't call in to adopt a pet. They have to go to the shelter. We know they'll be in a mind to get a pet when they go down, and if eight people go down interested in a dog that was on the show, maybe six of them will go home with other ones."

"This show has helped us tremendously," says the Humane Society's Pinder. "Almost 100% of the animals we feature here find homes. I don't know what I could do for a lot of our handicapped pets without 'The Pet Place.' It's when they see them here on the show that a lot of viewers feel in their hearts that they can take on that responsibility. Without that visual tool, a lot of them would not have gotten homes."

Bergendorff estimates his show draws 40,000 to 50,000 viewers, and he has derived some small amount of celebrity from it. "I was at Disneyland a couple of weeks ago, and three different people recognized me, and stopped and said they enjoy the show. Another came up to me in San Diego yesterday."

He also makes personal appearances at pet shows, where often several hundred people will stop to talk to him. "Some want reassurance that all these animals do get taken care of. Some just want to talk or show me pictures of their cats and dogs. Some have adopted our pets and want to share how they're doing.

We'd had one beautiful German shepherd named King on, who'd lived in Big Bear. One night a drunk in a bar had shot him and he lost a leg because of this cruel act. He ran out into the snow, and there were heroic efforts of the community for days to find him. We had him on and this wonderful family adopted him, and they came out to a personal appearance I made and showed me pictures of King in the swimming pool with the family. I love things like that."

Most of the people involved in the show volunteer their services, including Bergendorff and co-producers Missy Will and Gary Lycan. "We're lucky if we get our expenses covered, " Bergendorff said. They recently received non-profit status, using donations to defray production costs. (You can call Elevad Productions (949) 474-9510.)

He says his devoted producers make his work on the show as easy as possible, and given his druthers, he'd tape it every week. Despite working full time, teaching broadcast marketing part-time and doing everything tied to the show (it's not just personal appearances; they've organized emergency aid for animals following earthquakes, riots and other disasters), Bergendorff claims that he's not a workaholic.

"When you love something a lot, it's not an effort. Even if I've had a bad week, my eyes light up when I meet the animals. It makes you feel that it's important and you're helping, making a difference. That's such a high that I can't see myself ever not doing it."

From the Los Angeles Times Orange County Life & Style section, Tuesday, April 26,1994.

Copyright 1994/The Times Mirror Company

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