26 Facts About Fred Waring

Fred Waring was a promoter, financial backer and eponym of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric blender on the market.

Fredrick Malcolm Waring was born in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, on June 9,1900, to Jesse Calderwood and Frank Waring.

Fred Waring aspired to be in the Penn State Glee Club, but he was rejected with every audition.

Fred Waring married Dorothy McAteer, his college sweetheart, in 1923 but divorced her in 1929.

Fred Waring remarried in 1933 to Evelyn Nair and had three children, but in 1954 they divorced.

Fred Waring married Virginia Clotfelter and adopted Paul from Virginia's marriage to Livingston Gearhart, and had Malcolm.

From 1923 until late 1932, "Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians" were among Victor Records' best-selling bands.

In late 1932, Fred Waring abruptly quit recording, although his band continued to perform on radio.

Fred Waring's 1930 recording of "Love for Sale" by Cole Porter is one of the few period versions of this popular song.

The Fred Waring Show was heard on radio in various forms from 1933 to 1957.

Fred Waring composed and performed dozens of patriotic songs, his most famous being "My America".

Fred Waring created, rehearsed, and broadcast his radio programs from the stage of Shawnee's Worthington Hall throughout the 1950s.

Fred Waring taught and supervised these summer workshop for 37 years until he died.

Waring expanded into television with The Fred Waring Show, which ran on CBS Television from June 20,1948, to May 30,1954, and received several awards for Best Musical Program.

In 1938, Fred Waring renamed his Miracle Mixer Corporation as the Waring Corporation, and the mixer's name was changed to the Waring Blendor.

The Fred Waring Blendor became an important tool in hospitals for the implementation of specific diets, as well as a vital scientific research device.

Fred Waring died of a stroke at his summer home on July 29,1984, in State College, Pennsylvania, after videotaping a concert with his ensemble and completing his annual summer choral workshop.

Fred Waring conducted many such workshops at Penn State in his later years, and in 1984, designated Penn State to house his collection of archives and memorabilia.

Fred Waring served his alma mater as a trustee and was named a distinguished alumnus of the university.

In 1983, the 83-year-old Fred Waring was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest honor for a civilian.

In Long Beach, California, Fred Waring Drive is named for him.

Fred Waring was the Shepherd of The Lambs from 1939 to 1942.

From 1943 to 1974, Fred Waring owned the Shawnee Inn and Country Club, a golf resort located at Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania near Stroudsburg.

In 1948, two years after the National Cartoonists Society was formed, Fred Waring invited members of that organization to spend a day at the Shawnee Inn.

The Fred Waring Collection has more than 600 cartoon originals, including over 50 of the laminated table tops.

Artists who contributed to the Waring Collection included Jay Alan, Alfred Andriola, Jim Berry, Charles Biro, Martin Branner, Ernie Bushmiller, Milton Caniff, Mel Casson, Chon Day, Steve Douglas, Bill Dyer, Gus Edson, Eric Ericson, Gill Fox.