Growing up in Hueytown, Alabama, Fred Vinson spent a summer working with his dad at the local steel mill. At summer’s end, he knew he wanted to find a different profession.

Following high school graduation, Fred traveled to Chicago and attended DeVry University where he received a degree in engineering. He was quickly hired at WCRT-AM radio station in Birmingham, where he worked for about four years. In 1964, WBMG-TV Channel 42, was preparing its debut. Fred, recognized for his radio engineering, was the second person hired to get the new television station on air. His wife, Judy, says Fred was instrumental in getting the station going. “It was Fred’s job to get the station on the air, working 24/7, without sleep, and rigging whatever it took to keep them on the air,” Judy says.

Eventually being named Chief Engineer, Fred loved Channel 42 where he gave the station 40 years of service. The man, who always had a cup of coffee nearby, was respected for his knowledge of technology. Ernie Braswell worked with Fred for almost 30 years. He watched his boss design, build and install control panels, and rig whatever was needed to deliver the best product or to stay on the air. “Fred kept abreast of technology,” Braswell says.

People watched Fred sit at the workbench for hours. There was almost nothing that upset the man who was also gifted with patience and who always seemed to have the answer to the most recent technical problem. Their engineer had a knack for explaining technology to younger engineers who walked away knowing just what to do. Fred was a role model for many, including his younger brother, Jerry. Jerry also attended electronics school and worked with Fred at Channel 42 for nine years.

Fred passed away April 23, 2015. Comments by his co-workers and friends are testimony to the man and his work: “Fred was one of a kind, he could fix anything put in front of him;” “I will never forget how patient and understanding he was as I learned the ropes as a young engineer;” “Fred was one of the smartest and inventive engineers that I have ever known;” “I never knew a smarter and more versatile man in electronics;” and we must include this comment, “He taught me at my young age, that it’s actually duct tape, not duck tape.”

Braswell sums up what many people who worked with Fred feel, “Not a day passes, when I turn on the television, I think about Fred.”