Fred has an extensive background in marching band, drum corps and color guard. Like most this passion started in high school and continued in college at the University of Southern Mississippi where he participated in the “Pride of Mississippi” marching band, the concert band programs, orchestra and French horn choir. His experience also included being a member of the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps in the late 1970’s. He has served on the staff of the Blue Stars since 2006 in a variety of positions including program coordinator, staff coordinator, program consultant and as a member of the design team. Currently Fred is a consultant to the design and teaching staffs as well as to the corps’ management team. Fred has also served as a visual designer, program coordinator and consultant to competitive marching bands in the Southeastern United States including finalists in the Mississippi marching band championships.
Fred is Chief Judge and one of the founding members of the GulfCoast Judges Association, an organization serving the five color guard circuits across the Southeastern United States. In that role
he assigns judges for approximately 50 different winter guard shows and is also primarily responsible for training and monitoring the judges who adjudicate those contests. He has been a judge for over 40 years, was Chief Judge of the Color Guard Division of WGI from 1993 to 2006, was on the WGI Task Force for 15 years, and was a WGI judge starting in 1983. He has served as a member of the WGI
Board of Directors since 2008 and is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Fred has also judged for DCI, Drum Corps South and has been a judge for marching band contests in many parts of the country and indoor color guard, percussion and winds competitions in Canada, the Netherlands, Japan and Costa Rica. He is a member of the WGI Hall of Fame as well as the Halls of
Fame for the Gulf Coast Circuit, the Louisiana-Mississippi Circuit, the Southeastern Color Guard and Percussion Circuit and the Southern Association of Performing Art. He was also recently selected to become a member of the Blue Stars Hall of Fame.
circuits.
Professionally, he is an attorney and the managing partner of the
Gulfport, Mississippi law firm of Franke & Salloum. After receiving a
Bachelor of Science degree from USM, he attended Mississippi College School of Law, graduating with honors. While there, he was managing editor of the Mississippi College Law Review and a member of the trial competition team representing the law school in regional competitions. Following graduation from law school, Fred served as a legislative clerk for United States Senator Thad Cochran in Washington, D. C. He then served two years as a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Tom Lee in Jackson, Mississippi.
Fred primarily practices in the litigation area, including personal injury
defense, medical malpractice, insurance coverage disputes, bad faith, admiralty and construction law. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in the State of Mississippi, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and the United States Supreme Court. He also has an active mediation practice and has completed the required training to serve as a mediator.
He is a member of the Harrison County Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Fifth Circuit Bar Association, the Mississippi Defense
Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Russell-Blass-Walker Chapter of the American Inns of Court. He was recently elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).
Fred is Chief Judge and one of the founding members of the GulfCoast Judges Association, an organization serving the five color guard circuits across the Southeastern United States. In that role
he assigns judges for approximately 50 different winter guard shows and is also primarily responsible for training and monitoring the judges who adjudicate those contests. He has been a judge for over 40 years, was Chief Judge of the Color Guard Division of WGI from 1993 to 2006, was on the WGI Task Force for 15 years, and was a WGI judge starting in 1983. He has served as a member of the WGI
Board of Directors since 2008 and is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Fred has also judged for DCI, Drum Corps South and has been a judge for marching band contests in many parts of the country and indoor color guard, percussion and winds competitions in Canada, the Netherlands, Japan and Costa Rica. He is a member of the WGI Hall of Fame as well as the Halls of
Fame for the Gulf Coast Circuit, the Louisiana-Mississippi Circuit, the Southeastern Color Guard and Percussion Circuit and the Southern Association of Performing Art. He was also recently selected to become a member of the Blue Stars Hall of Fame.
circuits.
Professionally, he is an attorney and the managing partner of the
Gulfport, Mississippi law firm of Franke & Salloum. After receiving a
Bachelor of Science degree from USM, he attended Mississippi College School of Law, graduating with honors. While there, he was managing editor of the Mississippi College Law Review and a member of the trial competition team representing the law school in regional competitions. Following graduation from law school, Fred served as a legislative clerk for United States Senator Thad Cochran in Washington, D. C. He then served two years as a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Tom Lee in Jackson, Mississippi.
Fred primarily practices in the litigation area, including personal injury
defense, medical malpractice, insurance coverage disputes, bad faith, admiralty and construction law. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in the State of Mississippi, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and the United States Supreme Court. He also has an active mediation practice and has completed the required training to serve as a mediator.
He is a member of the Harrison County Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Fifth Circuit Bar Association, the Mississippi Defense
Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Russell-Blass-Walker Chapter of the American Inns of Court. He was recently elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).