Protecting Your Earned Benefits at TSCL

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Protecting Your Earned Benefits at TSCL

He Works To Ensure Your Support Gets Turned Into Political Action

By Bud DuPont, Legislative Analyst, TREA Senior Citizens League

In a campaign year like this one, TSCL often receives requests for campaign support from Members of Congress. TSCL's Political Action Committee Treasurer Fred Athans listens politely, and then works with firm deliberation to ensure that donations from our 600,000 senior members turn into the sort of political action intended. TSCL supports only the bills and issues that we believe, and that you tell us, are beneficial to our members and supporters, including Notch reform, a fair COLA for all seniors, and drug importation.

Since February 2001, Fred has been a member of the all-volunteer TSCL Board of Trustees along with our Chairman, George Smith and Vice Chair, Dottie Holmes. The current Board also includes Mr. Ralph McCutchen and Mr. Thomas O' Brien.

Fred Athans grew up in Stratford, Connecticut. After graduation from Milford High School, he was called up for the draft and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951. Some of his duty stations included Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, England, Morocco, Taiwan, and a tour in Vietnam. While Fred was stationed in Taipei, Taiwan, he was a military advisor to the Chinese Air Force.

Fred retired at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. Retirement from the Air Force in 1972 didn't end Fred's relationship with military affairs. He's been involved with Chapter 29 of The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA) in Rapid City, South Dakota, including service as its National President from 1998-2000. Fred (along with Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD)) helped write TRICARE for Life, the health program for all military retirees and dependents on Medicare. Fred and his wife, Barbara, bring a true team concept to TSCL. She routinely joins Fred in his work with the Board of Trustees. At last year's TREA convention, Barbara helped man the TSCL booth, along with TSCL staffers Garlette Dunkley, Shannon Benton, and Patty Gaul.

Mr. Athans has also been active for many years in Rapid City community affairs, including a program called "Safe Halloween," in which seven to ten thousand kids are kept off the street and enjoy Halloween inside with adult supervision.

When he isn't busy fighting for your earned benefits or volunteering, Fred enjoys time with his six grandkids and two great-grandchildren. Fred and Barb's grandchildren even get into the TSCL act when, occasionally, they run off documents on Fred's computer that he receives from TSCL staff.

When you meet Fred Athans, you'll be greeted by his infectious smile and hearty laugh. But when it comes to our members and TSCL, he is all business. He is deeply committed to seeing that our members' donations are given to support TSCL's causes and issues.

June 2004